The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie
by CrazyRabidPony
Summary: A scrawny and unusually large lupe escapes from the Neopian Pound and falls in love with the Soup Faerie. Will he win her heart? If he does, will society accept a relationship? Beware of teh fluffy cuteness!
1. Freedom and Hope

Pony: Hooray for Neopets and stuff!

Disclaimer Dude: Not another fanfic… Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter One: Freedom and Hope_

A scrawny red lupe sat eagerly on his haunches as he observed the activity outside his holding pen. He kept his eyes on Dr. Death as he reluctantly dropped a pile of supposedly edible mush in the food bowls of fellow abandoned neopets; the lucky ones, actually. After a pet received its so-called "meal", the vile techo would lock up its pen for the night.

For many days and nights, the aforementioned lupe had endured bouts of hunger and thirst. The only attention he received were the occasional glances from the humans who were looking to adopt and also the angry glares from Dr. Death whenever he passed his pen. He tried his very best to keep his fur neat for the potential owners, but his attempts were intercepted by his poor condition. His once brilliant red coat was dull and drained of its natural glow due to the poor diet the cold techo provided - when he actually did feed him. The pets that were smaller and didn't skimp on the appearance - mostly the painted pets - were the preferable choice. The lupe was built unusually tall, like a great dane. He figured the humans found him intimidating compared to the rest of the pets.

As time passed, the red lupe's condition worsened. His skeleton was beginning to show under his long, unhealthy fur. He knew that his chances of being adopted were highly unlikely, especially with all the other pets in better health that were dumped each day.

The red lupe watched Dr. Death feed the green wocky that was located in the pen next to his. Over the pass few weeks, he had carefully formulated a plan. Tonight he would put his plan to action and become the very first neopet to escape the Neopian Pound. As the techo was occupied with locking the wocky's cell, the lupe lifted his dirty water dish and picked up the toothpick he had found on the ground when he was let out for some exercise. With that simple toothpick, his freedom would be granted. He concealed the toothpick under one of his paws as the yellow techo moved to his pen.

"All right, you flea-bitten mutt, here's your gruel," Dr. Death growled as he opened his pen and advanced on his food dish.

The red lupe gave the food dish a forceful shove with his nose, sending it sliding out of his pen and pass the mean-spirited techo. Dr. Death sneered at the lupe and turned around to retrieve the food dish. The lupe made his move as the techo's back was turned. His eyes shifted to the keyhole on the lock of his cell. He slunk over to it and inserted the toothpick deep into the keyhole. The lupe quickly returned to his previous sitting position right before Dr. Death had reached the food dish and, turning on his heel, he glared at him again.

"Just for that you aren't getting any!" Dr. Death hissed and hurled the food dish at the lupe. His aim was way off and it missed his target by a couple of feet. Several pets suppressed their snickers as they observed what had happened. The vile techo slammed the door of the pen shut and slipped the key in, locking it… or he thought he locked it. The toothpick had prevented the key from locking. So far, the lupe's plan was working.

The red lupe waited patiently in his pen until, at last, Dr. Death left the building for the night. Now was the time to escape! He pushed the door of the cell open with his nose without a problem and made his way to the door. Naturally, he was tall and he did not need to stand up on his hind legs to reach the doorknob. The lupe turned the knob, and the door swung wide open. He gazed out at the distance; it may have been just a bunch of markets clustered together, but to him, it was a beautiful sight. Heavy clouds blanketed the night sky, thunder rolled, and lightning flashed, but it was still wonderful. It was his freedom. The lupe made a mad dash toward the Marketplace, determined to get away from the Neopian Pound. The pets that remained in their pens cheered for him as he ran off into the outside world. The claps of thunder also seemed to cheer for him and it began crying tears of joy. The red lupe's heart soared as he raced through the night and welcomed the rain that soaked his coat.

XXX

The Soup Faerie closed up the Soup Kitchen for the night. She let out an exhausted sigh as she strode over to the large black cauldron. It still had a little soup remaining in the bottom, but it wasn't enough to fill a single bowl. Her eyes slid around the kitchen, observing she had used up the last of her ingredients that day and would have to get up early tomorrow to buy more. The faerie's ears twitched as they caught the sound of loud banging at her door. She turned her full attention to the door curiously as the banging continued at her door.

Finally, one last blow to the door tore it off of its hinges, sending several pieces of wood flying across the kitchen. The Soup Faerie flinched, shocked at the sudden destruction of her door. Who would do such a thing to her? Her answer was waiting at the doorway. A Darigan eyrie and draik stepped into the Soup Kitchen, their hides drenched from the rain. The purple-and-black clad pets shook the water from their bodies and they surveyed the Soup Kitchen.

"So this is the famous Soup Kitchen," said the Darigan eyrie, eying the simple furnishings of wooden benches for eating that took up what would be empty space. Shelves of spices and potions, some empty, some partially full were set against the walls. The actual kitchen consisted of countertops, a stove, a sink, and cabinets of simple wooden color with the occasional heart decoration. The windows were accompanied with bright pink curtains that added light to the kitchen. The centerpiece of the kitchen was, of course, the large black cauldron that cooked the soups. "How disappointing. There's hardly anything here."

"What a dump." The Darigan draik frowned at his surroundings.

The Soup Faerie was stunned by the rude criticism. She certainly wasn't going to let them get away with their rudeness. The faerie approached the newcomers with a gentle scold on her face. She placed her hands on her hips and spoke in a firm tone. "Excuse me, the Soup Kitchen may not be much, but it certainly is not a dump."

The duo of Darigan neopets exchanged glances and laughed at the gentle faerie's attempt to appear commanding. The Soup Faerie sighed, embarrassed at not being taken seriously.

"Well, what have we here?" The draik's eyes caught the sight of a large plastic jar of neopoints sitting upon a shelf of potions and spices. He and his partner pushed the faerie aside and approached the object of interest.

The Soup Faerie stuttered for a moment in confusion as she was pushed aside, then became worried as the two "visitors" advanced on the jar of neopoints. Those were donations collected by the kind pets who dropped by for her soup. She planned on using those neopoints to buy the ingredients she needed to make soup for the hungry pets that would visit in the short future.

The eyrie's greedy paws took the jar from its spot. "What a haul. We can sure buy something nice with these."

"No! You can't!" the Soup Faerie pleaded. "I need those neopoints to buy ingredients! Otherwise I can't make soup to feed the hungry pets!"

The Darigan eyrie and draik gazed at the faerie with amused grins. The eyrie chuckled almost sadistically as he held the jar mockingly. "Then I guess your hungry friends are gonna starve to death."

The Soup Faerie stared in horrified bewilderment. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Who were these neopets and what made them think they could just barge in and steal the donation jar containing the precious neopoints? It did not matter now, she needed to get that jar out of the eyrie's paws. "I cannot allow you to get away with this."

The Darigan neopets laughed and the draik stepped forward to challenge the gentle faerie. "How're ya gonna do that, soup girl? You'll have ta fight us first."

The eyrie joined his partner's side. "That's right. You wouldn't hurt us, would you? Go ahead and take a hit at us."

The Soup Faerie did not make an attack. She didn't think she could do it. Even though the neopets before her were antagonizing her and attempting to rob her, she still didn't want to harm them. To do so would go against her gentle nature. If she did let them go, she would be letting down all of the starving pets of Neopia. Her heart broke at the very thought of the sad faces of thousands of neopets that would come for the soup she would not have.

The Darigan pets smirked triumphantly and, once again, pushed pass the Soup Faerie.

"I knew she couldn't do it," the eyrie said with complete confidence as he and his partner headed towards the exit.

"Yeah, the winged soup jockey's too soft," the draik laughed.

The Soup Faerie scowled. She decided that fighting two neopets was better than letting thousands of them starve to death. She gathered waves of energy into her hands. The bright pink orbs of raw power swirled and crackled like electricity as she prepared the attack. The faerie hurled her arms into the direction of the robbers, sending the orbs of energy at them. The duo of Darigan neopets let out startled yelps as they were struck in the back of their heads. The eyrie dropped the plastic jar and it fell to the wooden floor. The jar rolled back to the faerie, neopoints clattering inside. She kneeled to the floor and picked it up.

Once the Darigan neopets recovered from the attack, they whirled around and glared menacingly at the Soup Faerie as she hugged the donation jar tightly to her chest. The antagonists held their paws in front of them, showing the faerie their razor-sharp talons threateningly. Frightened, she scooted back on her knees. Jars and flasks of potions and spices rattled and clinked against each other as the Soup Faerie's body came in contact with the shelves.

"Ya shouldn't o' done that," the draik growled as he and the eyrie advanced slowly.

Out of desperation to defend herself, the frightened faerie unfurled an arm from the donation jar and hurled another orb of energy at the Darigan eyrie, hoping he and his partner would back off. The eyrie swiftly moved a paw clockwise, neutralizing the pink blob with his own dark energy. She gasped and clutched the jar more tightly. Her heart seemed to leap into her throat as another layer of terror swept over her.

"Maybe this will teach you a lesson," the Darigan eyrie hissed, his elongated claws glinting in the light as he advanced upon the Soup Faerie even further, his partner right behind him.

The Soup Faerie was frozen with horror, knowing her powers were useless against the thugs. Suddenly, a red flash of fur appeared from behind the assailants and ceased to a halt between her and the Darigan neopets. A red lupe of unusual height, fur soaked and dripping from the rain, crouched and snarled warningly at the duo who dared to cause harm to the innocent winged creature.

"Geez! Look at the size o' that lupe!" the draik exclaimed after analyzing the lupe's tall stature.

"Yeah, he's a real big one, but he's nothing but bones and a sack of fur," the eyrie stated reassuringly to his partner, eying the lupe's condition. The lupe's fur was heavy from the weight of the rainwater, showing the frame of his malnutritioned body. He glowered menacingly at the lupe that had intervened their mission. "Hey, you! If you don't wish to get hurt, I suggest you get out of the way and let us take care of the faerie!"

The red lupe remained where he was, stiff-legged and ready to fight if necessary. The Soup Faerie gazed at the rear view of her rescuer and felt a wave relief and hope. Only moments ago, she had feared that the Darigan pets were about to tear her apart, but now this brave lupe had come just in time to protect her. The faerie had too analyzed and acknowledged the lupe's starved and neglected state and she naturally sympathized for him.

"Looks like we're gonna have ta rip 'im ta pieces first," said the draik with a sinister smirk, readying his talons. The eyrie nodded and he was the first to lunge at the lupe.

The lupe hurled his body at the attacking eyrie, his bony shoulder aiming for the shoulder of his foe. The gryphon-esque neopet toppled over as the lupe rammed his shoulder into him. Then the draik went after the lupe, swiping with his claws. Catching sight of the next attacker out of the corner of his eye, the lupe kicked out with his hind legs like a uni, sending him flying and crashing to the hard wooden floor. The eyrie recovered and snapped at the lupe with his beak. The lupe leaped to the side, avoiding the sharp beak. He rose on his hind legs momentarily, balling up one of his paws and hitting the eyrie on the side of the head. It didn't knock much out of the Darigan pet, the lupe's strength was low due to his starvation. The eyrie shook his head and focused back onto the fight. He glared hatefully with his piercing red eyes and resumed snapping at the lupe, who leaped from side-to-side, avoiding his attacks.

The Darigan draik groaned as he sat up and charged at the lupe in attempt to aide his partner. He jumped the lupe and sank his claws into his sides. The lupe let out a loud yelp in pain as the claws pierced his flesh, and turned his head to see the draik on his back grinning triumphantly. As the lupe had his attention averted, the eyrie snapped his beak once more, the sharp point slashing open a gash that went to the bone of his shoulder. The lupe let out another howl in pain upon having his shoulder slashed open, blood poured from the wound and trickled down his sides as the draik sank his claws in deeper.

The lupe ducked his head and somersaulted forward, sending the eyrie to the floor and crushing the drake on his back. The claws slid out of his back as pulled himself forward onto his feet, his blood flowing more freely out of the large pinprick wounds. He leaped away from his foes at a safer distance, panting and bleeding. His hunger and fatigue was rapidly draining his energy, but he was determined to protect the Soup Faerie.

The pair of Darigan pets rose to their feet, glaring at the red lupe venomously. They charged once more at the lupe, who did the same. The Soup Faerie sat in horrified silence as she watched the fight unfold before her. The Darigan neopets were fresh and well-fed, but the lupe was obviously bigger and fueled with valiant determination. The lupe kept on fighting as his energy came to an all-time low. He was close to collapsing from exhaustion, but he held on long enough to send the attackers running off into the stormy night.

The lupe finally let himself fall to the floor in the middle of the room, panting heavily from the exertion, his sides and shoulder and leg coated a dark red from his blood. The Soup Faerie immediately set the jar of neopoints aside on the floor and rushed to the lupe. She dropped to her knees at her savior's side and ran a hand over his head.

"Are you all right?" she asked in a worried, gentle tone.

The lupe's ears twitched and his head reeled as the Soup Faerie's gentle voice rang. He lifted his head and turned it to face the owner of such a sweet, heavenly voice. As his yellow eyes met the faerie's soft brown eyes, his head spun even more and his heart fluttered wildly in his chest.

The lupe fell in love.


	2. A Safe Haven

Pony: Here be the next chapter!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets. If she did… God knows what would happen.

Pony: I want to give super thanks to my role play partner, Kri, for helping me make the continuation of this fic possible! You rock!

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie  
**

_Chapter Two: A Safe Haven_

The lupe continued to gaze at the Soup Faerie in complete awe, and temporarily oblivious of his wounded state. It took him a moment or so to register the question she had asked him. He opened his mouth to speak, his voice was hoarse from going a long while without use.

"Y…e..ah…" the lupe replied hoarsely. He cleared his throat and continued. His voice was much more clear, but it was at a higher pitch; he was quite nervous and unconfident in the presence of such a radiant being. "I… thi…ink I'm fi…ine." The lupe swallowed hard in an attempt to push down the lump that leapt into his throat. "W-what about y-you? … D-did… I, um… get h-here in time? … D-did they… h-hurt y-you?"

The Soup Faerie was relieved that the red lupe had not been wounded as badly as she thought. She smiled softly at him, running her hand over his head once again. "Yes, I'm fine. You came just in time. Thank you very much."

The red lupe melted at the Soup Faerie's smile. He involuntarily shivered lightly at the electrifying pleasure that shot through his entire body as she stroked his head. "Y… you're… w-welcome…"

The Soup Faerie's smile morphed into a concerned frown as she glanced down at the lupe's wounds. They were still bleeding, but not as much now.

"W-what's wrong?" the red lupe asked the faerie as her facial feature's changed.

"You're badly hurt," the faerie relayed, her arms reaching behind to undo the bow in her apron.

The red lupe felt his lacerations sting unmercifully as he was reminded of them. "Yeah… I guess… I am…"

The Soup Faerie pulled her apron off and draped it over the lupe's body. Dark red patches bloomed in the various spots where the fabric was absorbing the blood from the wounds. The faerie gave his head one final stroke before rising to her feet. "I'll be right back."

The red lupe's head continued to reel even after the Soup Faerie took her hand away. His glazed eyes drooped lightly and the corners of his mouth stretched into a pleased smile, giving him a dazed outer appearance. He watched her leave the room, letting out a happy sigh.

Once the lupe's cloudy mind cleared slightly, he was able to contemplate on the sudden rush of emotions that flooded into him the instant he looked into the eyes of the faerie. He had never felt anything like it; not even close. It all happened so quickly; his head spinning at her angelic voice, her gentle touch tingling every nerve in his body, and her eyes… her beautiful, wonderful eyes that conveyed compassion and understanding. Those orbs of swirling brown sent his heart racing. The lupe had heard of these symptoms and they all added up to one thing: love. He now knew that love had hit him and it hit him hard.

The lupe snapped from his thoughts as the Soup Faerie returned, her hands holding both ends of a white box with a red cross branded onto it. His smile grew and his heartbeat accelerated as she drew nearer and nearer. The faerie dropped to her knees in front of the red lupe, setting the box of first-aid supplies next to her.

"Now then, let's fix up those wounds," said the Soup Faerie as she opened the box and rummaged through it for the proper supplies. The lupe studied the faerie as she pulled out a pile of squares of gauze and a bottle of some sort of liquid disinfectant. She shook the bottle, agitating the chemicals within. Next, she twisted the cap off with her thumb and index finger, her remaining fingers wrapped around the bottle and pressing it against her palm. Then, the Soup Faerie tilted the bottle slightly, soaking a few layers of gauze squares that she held in her other hand. Finally, she set the bottle down beside the first-aide supply box and gave the injured lupe a warm smile that, yet again, melted his heart. "I'm sorry to say that this will sting."

The red lupe gave the Soup Faerie an acknowledging nod in response. "I'm… I'm sure I… can take it."

The Soup Faerie giggled slightly as she removed a section of her blood-soaked apron from his lacerated shoulder with her free hand. "I'm sure you can, seeing how you handled those robbers with the condition you're in."

The lupe blushed under his damp fur and his ears bashfully rotated sideways. "… Well… I, uh, couldn't… let them… hurt you."

The Soup Faerie's smile grew, feeling quite flattered that this lupe she had never met before would concern himself so much with her safety. "Thank you. That's very sweet of you."

"A-anytime… really. I mean it," the lupe replied, beginning to feel more confident in speaking with the Soup Faerie. He watched the faerie move her hand that was holding the squares of gauze toward his shoulder. The disinfectant locked into the squares bit like fire the instant it touched his wound. The lupe's shoulder twitched in response to the intense pain.

The Soup Faerie frowned, once again, in sympathy for the lupe's obvious agony. She gave a series of light, gentle dabs before pressing the layers of soaked gauze squares to the hideous gash. The faerie noticed the lupe had gritted his teeth instantaneously and she offered him an apologetic glance.

"I-It's okay," said the red lupe in response to the faerie's change in facial expressions. He inhaled deeply and exhaled in order to help himself relax. "I'm fine… It's… not that bad," he assured the Soup Faerie and smiled at her while holding back the impulse to wince at the pain.

The lupe took in several deep breaths, trying to relax himself as the disinfectant seared his wound. He lifted his head to the Soup Faerie, the corners of his mouth stretching back in a sort of reassuring, yet awkward grin. The cold alcohol seeped through the thin layers of gauze, combining with the hot blood and the warmth radiating through his fur. The Soup Faerie could easily feel his bones pressing against his skin, and every maternal instinct she possessed rose up.

"As soon as I take care of this, I'll get you some food. Goodness, you're nothing but gristle." Her tone was comforting and maternal, removing any insult that might have been taken from her words.

The lupe's smile grew at the thought of finally getting some decent food. His sensitive nose easily detected the tiny amount of soup that still remained within the cauldron. "Thank you… I… really appreciate it, m-miss."

The faerie grinned, noticing that his stutter was going away. How he went from sending a pair of violent bullies packing to stuttering like a schoolboy she didn't understand. "What kind of soup faerie would I be if I refused my savior a meal?" She removed the blood-soaked gauze from the wound, added fresh disinfectant to several new layers of gauze, and applied it to another of his injuries, trying to be gentle.

The lupe's heart raced at her words. "Uh… well… I don't know." He chuckled lightly with a hint of nervousness still remaining. He tensed up as the fresh alcohol was applied to one of the large pinprick wounds on one side of his ribcage.

"A bad one, I think. And I'm afraid I can't be terribly hospitable right now," she confessed, continuing to clean the gashes in his fur, trying to go quick without missing anything. "I'm down to the dregs. But," she gestured with the bottle of rubbing alcohol toward the jar of donations, sitting inconspicuously a few feet away, "your brave actions mean that I can make some more."

"That's… just fine, miss," the red lupe held his smile, wincing slightly occasionally. He really didn't care about the quality of hospitality. After spending years in the Neopian Pound, anything was good enough to make him happy. "I don't mind."

The Soup Faerie's large chocolate eyes softened. He was a very noble lupe, she decided. It was for neopets like these that she did what she did. She couldn't help but reach out and ruffle his ears again. "You did come for some food, right? Or do you have radar for damsels in distress?" She couldn't imagine him getting much farther, malnourished as he was. It went to show his strength of will that he had made it this far.

The lupe's cheeks heated up again and his entire body tingled from her touch. "W-well, no. I just… I couldn't let them hurt you… Y-you're a very important faerie, you know."

The faerie gave a small laugh and shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm really the least important, if you think about what the others do. I just look after the ones my sisters don't have time to save." She finished soaking his wounds and taking out as much of the excess blood out of his fur as she could and leaned back with a relieved sigh. "Okay, done with the hard part. Still doing okay?"

The lupe nodded. "That's not how I see it… There are way more starving pets than we think… and that you spend all your time feeding them is just… amazing." He knew how it was out in the cold world. Many of the starving neopets were locked up in the pound. Over the time he had been confined there, he had witnessed a vast portion of them starve to death.

She nodded. "Many more, and I don't even see all of them - there are plenty of owners who won't even bring their pets to me to feed. Speaking of which, where is your owner? I think I need to have a word with him." Her frown was severe as she mentally composed a tirade that would even make Dr. Sloth shamefaced if he heard it. She picked up a roll of bandages and began to wind them around his chest, where his most serious injuries were.

"I… don't have one," the lupe relayed. "In fact, I just escaped from the Neopian Pound before I arrived. I've been there for years. I guess humans were intimidated by my size."

Pausing, one hand holding a length of bandage across his chest, she blinked up at him from where she was kneeling to patch him up. "What?" she asked incredulously. "You… what?" She shifted and landed on her rear, surprised to say the least, and wondering what she was suppose to do with a starving free agent lupe. She wavered between being pissed off at the way he had been treated, disbelieving of the fact that he had gone so long without being adopted, and impressed with the fact that he had escaped when she had never heard of a pet escaping before. "How?" she finally asked, a little dazed.

"Well… all I had to do was stick an old toothpick into the lock so it, well, wouldn't lock. After Dr. Death left, I just pushed the door of my pen open and out the front door." The red lupe felt proud of himself for this feat. He hoped that the other pets would think of ways for them to escape after seeing that it was possible.

She was slowly processing what he told her, and while she thought it through she continued to wrap him up. He would look like a mummy when she was done, especially with his ribs showing. Eventually, the anger in her response rose up. "This is unacceptable," she muttered, though she was still careful not to pull too hard on the bandages.

"Yeah… but it's the sad truth." The red lupe's face contorted into an expression of remorse, his ears drooping slightly, signifying that the subject was a tender one for him. "People come in and pick the small and cute pets, especially the painted ones. They're not even aware of how much suffering is happening there. Many of them… don't even… make it…"

The normally peppy Soup Faerie's mouth was turned down in a frown, a line of anger between her eyebrows. Everyone knew the pound was an unpleasant place for pets to go, but no one had told her they were so terribly neglected. She tied off the bandages and sat back in time to see the valiant lupe's ears drop. Her expression soothed back into one of sympathy, and then felt her eyes sting with tears. She held them back, but she could feel her cheeks flush with the urge to cry. "Oh, honey…" In a rush, she leaned forward and enveloped him in a hug, arms wrapped around his neck as gently as she could to keep from jostling his injuries. "I'm so sorry. You're safe here, I've got you."

The lupe's sadness quickly melted away when the Soup Faerie furled her arms around his furry neck. The warmth in his chest intensified more than ever at the physical contact. He lifted his paw - the one with the injured shoulder - and curled it around her torso, but was careful not to touch her wings. He smiled, closing his eyes loosely, and gave the side of her head a few soft nuzzles.


	3. Acts of Kindness

Pony: Alright! Here is chapter three thanks to the awesome help of mah role play pawdner!

Disclaimer Dude: You're both insane.

Pony: I will choose to take that as a compliment. However, if Kri takes it as an insult, I shall punish you by poking you with a stick.

Disclaimer Dude: … Pony doesn't own Neopets…

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Three: Acts of Kindness_

Holding him close, the Soup Faerie resisted the urge to pull the red lupe into her lap for a comforting cuddle. He was soft and warm and obviously needed the affection, after so long in the barren Neopian Pound. However, like this, she could feel how thin he really was, and was again surprised he had fought off her assailants. When she felt the tension leave his muscles, she pulled away, brushing a hand over his cheek as she stood up. "It's time to get some food in you, er… I never got your name, sir."

The lupe had a slightly dazed look on his face. He felt as if his entire body had transformed into jelly. He grinned blissfully at the faerie as he snapped somewhat out of his love trance. "Um… Blaze."

"All right, Blaze. It's certainly a pleasure to meet you!" She gave him a sincere smile before fluttering over to the giant cauldron in the corner. As she went, she readjusted her bandana, tucking her hair back to keep it out of the way. Snagging her spoon and a bowl from the stack, she leaned into the pot, almost falling in to scrape out the rest. It didn't quite fill the bowl, but it was still warm. "It isn't much, but considering how thin you are, you probably shouldn't indulge too much right away anyhow."

Blaze's tail gave a few happy wags as the bowl of warm soup was set down in front of him. He offered the faerie a grateful smile, "Thank you…"

Just as he was about to eat, a small and very young green kacheek - a frequent visitor - entered the Soup Kitchen, gaining his interest. He set down his wet umbrella at the doorway, gazing curiously at the pieces of wood on the floor that use to be the door. It didn't occur to the innocent child of the possibility of violent robbers. "Wow. Someone must have knocked too hard…"

The Soup Faerie's attention was immediately turned to the youngster sloshing in from the rain. Her face lit up in a smile, "Hey, there, Zeek! Yes, they most certainly did knock too hard. I guess they were very hungry. Come over here by the pot where it's warm." Acting on long habit, she picked up another bowl and reached for her spoon… before she remembered that there wasn't any left. Her happy expression dimmed for just a moment, before she forced it to brighten again as she put down the bowl and turned back to the little one, leaning down to brace her knees as she spoke to him. "I'm afraid we're out of soup for now. I was just heading out to get some more supplies, though," she fibbed, reaching out to tweak the little kacheek's cheek.

Zeek's expression fell at the mentioning of no more soup. "Oh… okay…" The little fellow turned around into the direction of the exit, holding his empty little tummy.

Blaze frowned, feeling sympathy for the child as he watched the scene. He looked down at his bowl of soup, then back to the kacheek that was heading for the doorway. "Hey, little guy."

Hearing that he was being addressed, the kacheek turned to the lupe.

"Here. Have mine," Blaze offered, gesturing for him to come over and help himself to his soup.

The Soup Faerie fought to keep her smile bright when the small Neopian's whole demeanor shifted to disappointment, but the inside of her stomach clenched with regret. When he turned to go, she was in the midst of reaching out to stop him with a "Wait, honeybun, I'll make more" when Blaze spoke up. She glanced at him, curious, and then surprised when he offered his soup to the little kacheek. She almost objected - surely the lupe needed the nourishment just as much as the child, if not more considering his prolonged malnutrition and recent injuries. But it was his choice, after all. Her heart was in her eyes as she watched the little thing hesitate, and then go over to the red lupe.

The small kacheek went straight for the soup… and then paused and redirected himself. Instead, he got up on his tiptoes and hugged Blaze's muzzle tightly and squeak "Thank you!" before flopping down and attacking the soup.

Blaze smiled and chuckled at the kacheek's enthusiasm. "You're welcome." He then glanced over at the Soup Faerie. "I can wait a little longer."

Zeek slurped up the soup happily. He certainly had been surprised when Blaze offered him his own food. Normally, when he got in line to be given soup, he had noticed that other pets could care less if everyone received a bowl. A few would often cut in line in front of him and his friends and he would be too small to do anything about it.

Blaze was a hero, there was nothing else to it. The Soup Faerie watched, hugging herself and smiling a little, as Zeek enjoyed the soup. He was such a small thing, and sweet, unlike many of the pets who came to her who were hardened from years of struggling to survive, or simply mean from hunger. The soup was gone in a matter of minutes, and Zeek thanked Blaze again as he stood up before taking his bowl over to the Soup Faerie. She took it from him, patted him on the head, and told him to tell his owner hello as he toddled out the doorway with his umbrella.

She turned to Blaze with hands on her hips, "You're staying here while I go buy supplies."

Blaze responded with a wide smile, "All right… Um… Be careful."

"Of course. If I see any more thugs, I'll steer clear." She picked up the jar of donations and sorted out what she needed and put it in her purse. As she walked past the door, she frowned at the broken pieces and tsked. "So unnecessary. I'll have to get some guys to fix it in the morning." She smiled at Blaze teasingly, "You are now an official guard lupe capacity. Be back soon." And she was out the doorway.

Blaze sighed happily as she watched her leave. He dropped to his belly and relaxed, but remained awake and alert. His eyes never left the exit as he awaited the return of the Soup Faerie.

XXX

The Soup Faerie was gone for no more than an hour, and it only took that long because she made a couple of detours, such as a trip to the contractor's to get the door fixed in the morning. For tonight, she would have to improvise. Yellow wings flapping quietly to keep her afloat, she glided through the entrance. It had stopped raining, and night had fallen. Her natural magical radiance lit up the dark interior of her home as she alighted beside the cauldron and deposited a large bag of jars upon the nearby countertop. "Hey, Blaze, nothing go wrong while I was gone?" she asked, magically flicking on lamps around the room.

Blaze's tail wagged like crazy and his face lit up with blissful excitement the instant she walked through the entrance. "Nope. Nothing at all." He limped slowly on three legs as he followed her into the kitchen, and he groaned softly as sat himself down on his haunches beside the cauldron. "If I wasn't in this condition, I'd offer to help."

"Oh, _psh_. As if you haven't done far more than you needed to already," she said, pulling out jars left and right, putting them in specific places on the shelves surrounding the room. She paused next to him suddenly and smiled. "It's good to see you've stopped stuttering. I must be growing on you," and she continued to place things in the right order. As she went, she occasionally added ingredients into the cauldron, preparing a new batch of soup. Halfway through putting things away, she pulled a box out of the bag and set it on the table. "This is for you, sir, if you'd like to come take a look."

Curious, Blaze limped over to her to see what she could possibly have for him. A light whimper escaped his throat. Walking on three legs was really putting strain on the muscles upon his ribs.

The faerie realized her mistake too late to stop him from getting up, and hid her chagrin. Hoping to distract him from the discomfort, she flipped open the top of the box to show him a big round cake with the words "Blaze, Soup Faerie's Champion" written on it in frosting. "I would've gotten you a medal, but I figured you'd want food more," she said, reaching for a plate to get him a slice. "You can munch on some before the soup's done. Don't eat too fast and hurt yourself, though."

The red lupe felt his entire face grow hot from the words drawn out in curvy letters upon the white surface of the cake. His ears rotated sideways as a bashful expression appeared upon his furry features. "Wow… that's… th-thank you, miss… I don't really… well, I…" Blaze continued on, tripping over the words that flowed carelessly out of his mouth. He mentally kicked himself for sounding so stupid in front of the Soup Faerie.

She chuckled when she heard that the stutter had come back. A nervous stutter who chased off bullies. How adorable. "Eat your cake, sir. You deserve it."

"O-o-okay." Blaze thanked the faerie again before sinking his teeth into the slice of cake. It tasted so good, especially after years of consuming nothing but the Neopian Pound's gruel. The combination of the moist, fluffy center and the sweet, silky frosting made his taste buds and stomach beg for more bites. He savored every bit until he was finished, licking his chops. He glanced up at the Soup Faerie, running a paw over an ear. "Um… thanks again… uh, really, when I… get better… I really would like… to help you in the kitchen…"

The Soup Faerie tried hard not to watch him eat, but it was surprisingly difficult to focus. She had spent years feeding hungry Neopians, but the warm feeling she got seeing the bliss on the faces of those who came to her… it never got old. And particularly with Blaze, she knew a little bit about just how rough he'd had it. She wondered how long it had been since he had something as simple and indulgent as a piece of cake. When he tendered his request, though, she had to think about it carefully. She never had an assistant, really. Kind Neopians occasionally pitched in, but she was the Soup Faerie; this was her life. "Are you sure there isn't something you'd rather be doing? You could make a killing in the Battledome with a little training - pun completely intended," she smiled as she stirred the soup.

Blaze let out a laugh at the cute little pun and he nodded. "I would rather help you."

"Hm." She smiled down at the soup. "You may stay. But this is temporary - the first opportunity you have to do something you love, don't hesitate to go for it because of me, all right?" She pointed the spoon at him, soup dripping off the end and into the cauldron. "You can't let that big heart of yours weigh you down."

Blaze nodded, thrilled that the Soup Faerie would be allowing him to stay with her. Though she told him to jump at the opportunity for him to do something he would like when given, he doubted he would find anything he would rather do. "Yes, ma'am."

The Soup Faerie swished her spoon through the thick soup, then poked a pinky in it - nearly done. In the meantime, she put the last few items in their places upon the shelves, and then hopped up to sit on the table edge near her new assistant. "I'll start teaching you where and what things are tomorrow. Some stuff is very secret, though, so I'll still be doing most of the cooking."

Blaze grinned, his tail wagging excitedly. "Great! I'm looking forward to it."

She shook her head, and reached out to stroke a hand over the top of his head. "Of course you are. You're a good lupe, through and through. I don't understand how you managed to avoid all those owners' notices in the pound." The Soup Faerie took a deep breath and yawned, feeling the long and eventful day in her muscles.

Blaze's head reeled and his heart fluttered at the faerie's touch. He gave her hand a quick nuzzle and an affectionate lick. "They… noticed me. They just… didn't want me." He gave her hand another lick.

She welcomed the lethargy, because it had come from a day well spent. Feeling warm and cozy and happy to have company, she scrunched her nose on an amused smile as Blaze's soft muzzle brushed her hand, and he licked her. "I don't see why. Sure, you're big, but that just makes you unique. I suppose it's a good thing I never went to the pound - I'd have wanted all of you…"

Blaze offered a loving smile and another nuzzle to her hand. "The words that came from your mouth were the kindest I have received in years…"

"Hopefully they won't be for long - we're gonna find you some good people to share that big heart with." The sound of the soup bubbling drew her attention, and she got up to spoon some in a bowl. "Here we go. This will do you a world of good. That and some rest and you'll be ready to take on the world."

"Thanks, miss Soup Faerie," he gladly thanked her before taking that first slurp of soup. It was delicious. The soup was bursting with flavor that he never thought soup could have. "This is amazing, you're incredible!"

"Oh, honey, it's just soup. You'll be sick to death of it soon enough. But thank you." She stretched, fought another yawn and lost the battle. "Dunno about you, but I'm ready to sleep. We'll be up before dawn to get ready for the morning rush." She pulled the bandana out of her hair, the thick mass falling everywhere once it was unconfined, and she ran a hand through it.

Blaze chuckled lightly. He couldn't help but occasionally stare at her as he ate his soup. She had soup stains over her apron in addition to the patches of blood from his wounds, her clothes were slightly wrinkled, and her hair was messy, but in his eyes, she was perfect; the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

"Right," she said, straightening. "Bed." She headed for the small bedroom tucked in the corner, untying her apron as she went. She stopped outside the door suddenly. "There's only one bed, by the way. I'm not used to guests," she said wryly. "There's probably plenty of room for both of us, though. I'll grab an extra blanket, since it'll get chilly with the door wide open… oh, fudge, the door." She looked at it, annoyed. "I should move something in front of it to dissuade petty thieves."

"I'm a light sleeper. If anyone steps in, I'm pretty sure I'll hear them," Blaze assured the Soup Faerie, confident that she had nothing to worry about. He finished his soup and let out a yawn that ended in a puppyish whine.

She looked at him somewhat doubtful. "I don't really want you to have to scare off more intruders. You've done enough gallant deeds for the day and still need to heal from them. I'm taking you to the Healing Springs tomorrow, I think." She spoke as she set her shoulder against a tall cupboard and shoved it over until it blocked the doorway. She dusted off her hands and started for bed. "Gimme a few minutes."

Blaze nodded. "Take your time," he smiled softly.

It was only a minute or two before she replaced her soiled clothes with a long, comfortable nightgown and was combing her hair out. "I'm decent," she called, knowing he would be far too polite to come in until she told him it was okay. She collapsed on the bed, still holding the hairbrush.

Blaze's ears twitched at the sound of the Soup Faerie's voice. He hobbled slowly into her room, nudging the door with his nose. He couldn't help but stare just a little at the sight of the faerie in her nightgown. He blushed slightly and tore his eyes away, looking around the room.

The room was a simple affair - it was obvious the faerie didn't spend much time here. Other than the basic furniture, there were some pictures up on the walls, possibly drawn for her by grateful young Neopians, as well as some photographs of her and pets who were probably favored regulars. She roused a little when he walked in, enough that she got up, dropped the brush back on the dresser, and pulled another comforter out of the chest located at the end of the bed. "Come on in, and close the door to keep in the warm air."

"Oh, sure." Blaze gave the door a shove with his nose, closing it. He limped over to the bedside, the yellow in his eyes glowed a brilliant golden color in the dark. "I… really appreciate this, miss Soup Faerie, I really do."

She waved a hand airily, brushing off the thanks. "You just committed yourself to slave labor for me, don't thank me yet." Her eyes strayed to the noticeable limp, and she promised herself again to take him to the Healing Springs. "Hold still," she commanded, just before she bent down and scooped up the lupe, depositing him on the bed in one smooth motion. She was much stronger than she looked. She climbed in after him and began tucking the comforter around him.

Blaze smiled affectionately as she placed the soft comforter around him. "Well, I'm thanking you anyway." He hesitated nervously for a moment, but leaned his head in, licking her cheek.

She was about to pull away, having wrapped the comforter around the red lupe snugly, when his warm, wet tongue touched her cheek, and she paused, eyes wide. The moment passed quickly, however, and she smiled, lowering her head to give him a kiss between the ears. He was cozy and warm and soft, and sleepy as she was, the Soup Faerie simply pulled her own comforter up until she could wrap it around her, and sank down on the bed, curling around Blaze. "Someone missed out on something special by overlooking you," she murmured tiredly.

Blaze's heart skipped a few beats the instant the Soup Faerie kissed him, then it hammered away in his chest. He had a goofy grin on his face, but it was dark and most likely went unnoticed. His large, furry tail peeked out from under the comforter and wrapped itself around her. He then lowered his head to her shoulder, nuzzling it. "Then I wouldn't have met you…"

The poor overworked Soup Faerie was already mostly asleep. Her worries were taken care of for the moment, what with the soup simmering for the morning, carpenters hired to fix the door, and a trustworthy guardian beside her. She dozed off with a half smile, and when the soft brush of Blaze's tail wrapped around her, she unconsciously kneaded the downy fur with her fingers.

Blaze ceased his nuzzling and rested his head on her shoulder, gazing down at her face, her sweet, angelic face. The exhausted lupe's heavy eyelids soon closed and he nodded off into a peaceful sleep.


	4. Morning Visitors

Pony: Okay! Time for some intimacy! *rubs hands together*

Disclaimer Dude: *fetal position* … Pony doesn't own Neopets…

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Four: Morning Visitors_

The morning started as they usually did for the Soup Faerie - painfully early. This morning's wakeup call was the insistent tapping of a pteri's beak on the glass pane of her window. With a pathetic, muffled sound of protest, she tried to pull the comforter over head, but she couldn't seem to get it to move. Frustrated, she opened her eyes and found… that she was pulling on handfuls of thick, plush red fur. She blinked, sleep-dazed, and took stock of her surroundings. The red fur belonged to a lupe - Blaze, that was it - and he was now under her comforter, his having fallen off the bed. She was tucked into him, his chin resting on the pillow above her head, the rest of his body curved around her. She had a better grasp on just how much larger than normal lupes he really was. She felt herself flush scarlet.

Blaze stirred slightly in his slumber. His muzzle nuzzled her head lightly and he snuggled against the warm and comfortable faerie. He lifted his arm and it furled itself around her, holding her close.

The Soup Faerie caught her breath when he started to move, feeling her heart tripping in her chest. She wasn't sure what to do, and when he shifted, she tried to inconspicuously slip out of his grasp to avoid having to face him… but he lifted a large paw and draped it over her, pulling her closer, and she was helpless to resist the cuddle. _'What's the harm?' _she thought. _'He's probably dreaming about a stuffed animal.' _Indulging, she carefully buried her nose in the warm fur of his throat.

Blaze continued to nuzzle her temple in his sleep. He held a wide grin on his face. His furry fingers found her sensitive wing, and they traced feathery light circles upon it.

'_He's so cuddly,' _she thought, absorbing his warmth. _'Probably misses having a companion, after being in the pound for so long… I just don't get why he wasn't adopted…' _She tucked her fingers under her chin, relaxing into sleep again, when there was a light brush of velvety fur over her wing. She shivered. Her eyes opened slowly, unfocused, as the lupe started doodling lazy circles over the delicate web of nerves in her wing. Normally, it was taboo to touch a faerie's wings - they were fragile and sensitive, not to mention personal. The Soup Faerie found herself kneading her fingers in his fur.

His head shifted, his cold, wet nose found her forehead and he began to softly lick it. The circles he traced upon her wing became slightly larger, never losing his gentle, light touch.

'_Oh, dear…'_ His nose touched her forehead, followed by soft laps of his tongue, and he never stopped the hypnotic movements on her wing. She glanced up, certain he had to be awake. His eyes were still closed, and she wavered. This was not platonic, she decided. What ever he was dreaming about, it was not a plushie. She wondered if she should stop him… this couldn't be right… She was a faerie, and he was a lupe and… he had magical fingers.

Blaze's nose moved until it found her ear. He sniffled at it before proceeding to lick that as well. His bushy tail traveled up and it brushed over the lower section of her wing.

She suppressed a shudder, feeling a tingle of pleasure pass through her. The combination of cold, wet nose and warm, wet tongue and soft, velvety fur against her large, pointed ear was enough to have her breathing go choppy. She tensed, tilting her head involuntarily to give him better access, and her wings flicked responsively as they were pinned by his thick tail.

The lupe's tongue continued to lick her ear, running over every inch of it. His fingers moved from circles to random patterns, and the soft fur of his tail swished back and forth across her wing.

Drowning in the sensations, she couldn't help but think _'I really shouldn't be letting this happen'_, even while she reveled in the feelings. It was hard to believe he was still asleep - imagine what he would be like if he was focused - no, she wouldn't, that was not where her thoughts needed to go. She stretched and pushed into him, feeling needy… in time to hear a faint knocking from the other room, and a hesitant voice say, "Hello, miss Soup Faerie?"

Blaze's ears perked at the sound of the faint voice and he instantly awoke from his slumber, lifting his head, alert and completely oblivious to the fact that he was curled up against the Soup Faerie, his arm was wrapped around her, and his paw was touching her wing. "Someone's here."

The Soup Faerie bit her lip on a curse and a short grunt of both frustration and relief. _'Oh, goodness…' _she thought, throwing herself out of bed with perhaps a little too much force. _'Way too close. Waaaay too close…' _She didn't bother waiting for Blaze to get up; she grabbed clothes and rushed into the bathroom, changing in double-time before pulling her sleep-tousled hair into a bandana and rushing out into the main room.

"One second!" she called, putting her shoulder to the cupboard and pushing it out of the way. Then, disheveled and flushed, she faced her first visitor of the day with the best smile she could muster. "Hungry?"

"Hi, miss Soup Faerie!" the little kacheek from last night beamed happily. He was accompanied by three of his friends, all children like him; a red cybunny, a pink bruce, and a blue shoyru. They all ran in, giving the faerie's legs a hug.

The Soup Faerie felt a little wobbly still - she was pretty sure she had left something important in her room, her muscles, her ability to breathe, her integrity, she wasn't quite sure. The little kids didn't notice when she used the cupboard for support as they grappled her legs. "Breakfast all around," she said brightly, and headed for the cauldron, dragging four hangers on the whole way, as they giggled. She found her spoon and began stirring the soup, which had been simmering to perfection all night long. One by one, she pried the little hooligans off her legs with bowls of steaming soup. Eventually, she steeled herself and called, "Blaze, you want some?" She was pretty sure her voice only wavered a little.

"Yes, please," Blaze responded, just making it out of the bedroom, limping, but his face held a bright smile.

"There's that lupe I told you guys about," Zeek pointed out for his three friends to see.

"He's got lots of owies," the shoyru stated, taking notice of the bandages.

"Hey, mistewr, why dew yew have owies?" asked the pink bruce.

"Well," Blaze took a seat by the children on the floor since the little ones were too small to climb up on any of the benches. He gazed at each of then, their bright eyes shimmering with innocence. Of course, he wasn't going to tell them the truth. They were only children and revealing to them that the Soup Kitchen was broken into would most certainly terrify them, "I fell down some stairs."

The Soup Faerie knew she was blushing, and was grateful that the kids and Blaze were absorbing each other's attention while she dished out another bowl of soup for the lupe. She slid it in front of him, and busied herself adding a dash of this and a pinch of that to make the soup better. She smothered a laugh a Blaze's excuse for his injuries - tactful, but definitely not very glorious. He didn't seem at all conscious. He must not realize what had almost happened… she relaxed a little.

Blaze offered a grateful smile as the Soup Faerie gave him his soup. He ate silently as he observed the children. He was quite charmed by the little ones, registering their names as they talked amongst one another about this and that, things children would care about. It soon got a little silly as random comments came from their mouths, making each other giggle. Zeek blew raspberries and Flamo the shoyru placed his spoon on his nose, which got a laugh from all the children.

'_Thank goodness for children.'_ They managed to be adorable and sweet and a brilliant distraction all at the same time. It was good to see the munchkins happy and playing and not worried about their hungry bellies. Hopefully they wouldn't grow up too fast. Almost unwillingly, she noticed that Blaze was transfixed by them. Instead of being annoyed by their immature banter as most adults would, he watched with quiet enjoyment. She could only imagine that it was good for him, after years of isolation.

Blaze and all four of the young ones had finished their soup. Flamo went behind the red lupe, intending on making a playful grab for his tail. Blaze lifted the bushy extremity, moving it around the shoyru, who turned around to get it. The lupe's expression morphed into a playful one as well. He moved his tail about and the shoyru pursued it, laughing joyfully. Blaze eventually brought the soft end of his tail to Flamo's tummy and began to tickle it, resulting in a fit of laughter.

The giggling of the kids lifted the Soup Faerie's mood, as it always did, and she flitted about the kitchen sorting things. The soup pot was bubbling merrily, and there was another rap on the doorframe as another Neopian, a red eyrie, showed up. Soon the line would start for the breakfast rush. She got the eyrie a bowl. On her way back, she snagged little Flamo as he rolled on the floor in a fit of giggles. He laughed louder and struggled playfully, even ending up hanging by his tail when he flailed too hard. She chuckled down at him, picking up their bowls while still keeping him off the floor.

Blaze chuckled, thoroughly amused at the little shoyru. "Who's tail is the victim now?" The lupe gave the dangling shoyru a playful nudge with his muzzle.

Flamo wriggled and pushed Blaze's nose away, still giggling too hard to talk. His friends on the wooden floor were attempting to pick one another up by their respective tails, but were having little luck because of their young ages and small tails. Finally, as she saw more neopets gathering at the door, the Soup Faerie set the little shoyru down upright.

"It's going to get crowded in here, you guys should go play outside. There's lots of puddles to jump in after the rain yesterday." They barely waited for her to finish before Zeek the kacheek, Flamo the shoyru, Daisy the cybunny, and Minga the bruce were racing for the door, keen on pouncing puddles. "Don't overwork yourself today, Blaze, you're still healing," she reminded the red lupe, fully in maternal mode.

"I won't," Blaze assured her, his smile wider than ever, thanks to the children. "I just wish there was something I could do to help you."

'_Stop being so chivalrous and reminding me of what I woke up to this morning.'_ "You're already helping. Be yourself and you'll be invaluable." She almost reached out to ruffle his fur, but decided discretion was the better part of valor and reached for his bowl instead, going to refill it and bring it back. "Keep eating so I can make you earn your keep," she added, giving him a kind smile. Then she was off to talk to the newcomers - who turned out to be the carpenters she had hired.

Blaze nodded, turning his head to the newcomers, two chia carpenters. They gave the Soup Faerie a big smile, ready to get to work on the door.

"Time to build a jacuzzi!" declared one of the chias.

"No, we're fixing a door," the other chia corrected his partner.

"I wanna build a jacuzzi!" the first chia whined.

"You can build one tomorrow," said the second chia.

"Okay!" the first chia cheered.

The Soup Faerie opened her mouth to object to the chia's suggestion of a jacuzzi, but didn't have to say anything after all. She let out a relieved breath. "Thanks, guys. I'll have some soup for you when you're done, if you'd like." The pair waved their hammers jovially - either from excitement over soup or work - and zipped out the doorway. Moments later, sounds of construction started. Despite the noise, pets were still showing up at the doorstep, and she scurried over to get bowls for them.

Blaze observed the activity from his spot that was located at one of the benches and out of the way. Mostly, he watched the Soup Faerie as she went back and forth, from the cauldron, to the stack of bowls, to hungry pets. It appeared exhausting. He'll be glad once he'll be able to help her, then she wouldn't have to use up so much of her energy.

In another hour, the morning rush would be over. In the meantime, the Soup Faerie would have no time to so much as think as she operated on autopilot handing out soup and friendly smiles. By the time she got the empty bowl back from the last customer in line, her cheeks were sore from being cheerful. She flopped down on the bench next to Blaze, too tired to care about embarrassment, and put her chin on her forearms on the table. "Afraid about tomorrow yet?"

"No, still looking forward to it. Then you won't have to work so hard," said Blaze in a tone that was laced with concern for her.

She heard the concerned note in his voice, but it didn't surprise her. Being a lupe, he was a protector by nature. "I'm the Soup Faerie, Blaze. Besides, you're the one who fell down the stairs," she said with a grin.

Blaze chuckled and gave one of her arms a playful nudge with his nose, his tone matching his antics. "You're still exhausted and I think you could use some help, missy."

"I've been doing this since before you were born, whippersnapper. More impressive foes than a breakfast rush haven't brought me down!" She was tired, but not more so than she had been before. "Why don't I start teaching you what these bottles do?"

Blaze's eyes lit up at the suggestion, his tail giving a few wags. "Okay."

Pushing herself away from the bench, she went to a shelf and plucked everything off of it, one by one, carrying the dozen or so bottles carefully back. She set them down in the same order they were on the shelf. "Okay, here we go. This in the short yellow bottle is…"


	5. The Water Faerie's Aria

Pony: All right! Here's chapter five with the continuing help from Kri! I also want to thank all my reviewers, especially ruff1298 for constructive criticism. Thanks!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

Pony: And those of you who are wondering what Blaze was dreaming about in the previous chapter, he was licking a giant chocolate bunny and finger painting at the same time.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Five: The Water Faerie's Aria_

During the beginning of the breakfast rush, a trio of hungry Neopians, a red eyrie, a yellow grundo, and a green mynci awaited at the wide-open doorway, eager to receive a bowl of hearty soup. Their attention had been diverted from their empty stomachs to an unusually large and skinny lupe as he enjoyed the company of the four young regular visitors. The sight of the blue shoyru attempting to seize his fluffy tail brought a smile to their faces as they waited for the Soup Faerie to acknowledge their presence and usher them inside. It was good to see the young ones make a new friend, and one that seemed to know how to entertain children. The red eyrie tapped the doorframe and the trio of pets allowed themselves to enter the instant the faerie was aware of their presence.

They watched the lupe and the children with amused eyes as they sat themselves down at a bench and ate their soup in silence. Their bowls were empty and collected by the Soup Faerie by the time the blue shoyru was rolling with laughter upon the wooden floor. After taking one final look at the scene as the faerie snatched up the shoyru, the trio left the Soup Kitchen, happy, and their bellies full. Their trip back home was prolonged as two shadowy figures lurking in an alleyway beckoned them over. Hesitant at first, they slowly approached a pair of Darigan neopets, an eyrie and a draik.

XXX

Blaze listened intently to every word the Soup Faerie had to say. He was intrigued by the spices and seasonings and their purpose. As the lesson ended, he shifted his eyes from the assorted bottles to the faerie. He blushed under his fur, instantly observing how close his face was to hers.

The Soup Faerie was very knowledgeable about her craft, and she easily slipped into teaching and disregarded any outside influence. She had explained what each of the bottles was, what they did, how they did it, how much was needed, ect. Blaze was a quiet and attentive student, which didn't surprise her. He would probably be able to repeat most of her instructions. When she ran out of things to say, she stopped and glanced over to him to see what he thought… and nearly bumped into his nose. Her brown eyes went round and she paused, knowing she should back away but unable to make herself move.

Blaze also found himself unable to move. He was mentally yelling at himself to back away, but neither limbs nor muscles would budge. He just stared back into her brown eyes with his golden yellow ones.

Something had changed for the Soup Faerie. Normally, it wouldn't have even caught her attention that she was so close to a neopet. Normally, she might have dispensed a kind smile, perhaps a head pat, and then moved on. But after the sensually charged wake up this morning, her view of him was no longer entirely innocent. _'But he doesn't remember. He didn't know what he was doing.'_ She mentally shook herself. In an effort to break the tension, she gave him a swift kiss to the tip of his nose - _'That's something I'd normally do, right? That's decorous enough…'_ - and backed off.

Blaze melted at the quick kiss, the tingling feeling of her lips lingered upon his nose. He fought the incoming trance in order to prevent himself from looking like an idiot, but failed miserably. He grinned goofily, his ears drooped as well as his eyelids, all adding up to a lovesick expression.

Even with her chest tight with sudden nerves, she couldn't help but give a soft laugh at his mooncalf expression. He was adorable. Suddenly, it didn't seem so awkward, what had happened. So what if he had a case of hero worship for her? Impetuously, she cupped both of her hands under his chin and touched her lips to his nose again, and then let go and started replacing jars and bottles on the right shelf. _'When did I become such a tease?'_ "Ready for another shelf?" she asked cheerfully.

"Uh-huh," Blaze replied, still in a daze from the physical contact.

She smiled to herself as she went to the next shelf down and pulled out an entirely new set of vials. She was pretty sure he wouldn't hear anything she said until he snapped out of his trance, and she was going to take advantage of his befuddlement to have some kindhearted fun. Setting the bottles down on the table in front of him, she began again to tell him what they were. When she was done, she pointed to the first bottle back up on the shelf she had told him about before. "Pop quiz: what's this one?"

Blaze was finally mostly out of his trance and the lupe sat up, looking down at the bottles. His oversized and extra sensitive nose picked up the spice' scent even though the bottle containing it wasn't even opened up. His brain sorted and classified the hundreds, perhaps thousands of scents that his nostrils caught. He took a moment to concentrate on the particular smell the faerie was gesturing at. "I believe that one is oregano."

She tilted her head to consider him. "Lucky guess. What do you use it for in soup?"

"It goes in tomato and Italian based soups," Blaze answered automatically, his mind had registered the information from the earlier lesson along with the spice's smell. His mouth curved into a playful grin. "And that was not a lucky guess, miss Soup Faerie. I can smell it."

The Soup Faerie's eyebrows rose, and she grabbed the bottle and unscrewed the top, sniffing at the contents delicately. It did have a distinctive odor, but she hadn't been able to detect it beneath the vast amount of other smells in the room. "Hmph," she huffed at him. "I call that cheating, sir. But I suppose everything in here has a distinctive smell, ya bloodhound."

Blaze chuckled. "Aw, come on. That's how I remember what is what." He tilted his head slightly, giving her another playful grin.

She shook her head at him, smiling. "Remind me to hide my more secret ingredients in an airtight box from now on. Now, list what's in these bottles, and we'll call your lesson done for today."

Blaze laughed lightly, then glanced down at the row of bottles. "Let's see… Rosemary, sage, chopped onions, ginger, and garlic powder."

"It's a good thing I like you, or I'd be sorely tempted to sabotage you with a jar of sulfur sometime," she said, giving a dramatic sniff and gathering bottles to replace on the shelves. "Now, we have about an hour before lunch. Let's take a trip to the Healing Springs."

Blaze chuckled at her antics, then beamed as she announced the trip to the Healing Springs. Finally, he won't be rendered useless due to his injuries. He slid off the bench and held himself up on his hind legs unsteadily in order to avoid straining himself. "Ready when you are."

She grabbed her purse, threw in a dash or two of a couple ingredients to soak into the soup, and then headed for the new door, which the chias had finished quickly.

Blaze took one wobbly step at a time. He had never walked on two legs before, but he made it to the doorway without losing his balance. He placed a paw on the Soup Faerie's shoulder for support.

The petite faerie tried not to let her first sight of Blaze at his full height impress her, but it was surprising. On all fours he was very large, but like this, he dwarfed her. _'I suppose size might have been a factor in why he wasn't adopted after all.' _He braced himself on her shoulder, looking a little wobbly, and she figured he wasn't use to standing fully. She slipped an arm around him to keep him steady, and closed the door behind them, locking it. She lifted a hand, and her pink-tinged magic flowed from it, down her arm and over her, spreading over Blaze, and they were at the entrance to the Healing Springs.

Blaze was surprised to see the Healing Springs deserted of neopets. He had expected a line; and normally there was. In the fountain, was the faerie that inhabited it. His brows rose at the sight of the Water Faerie.

The Water Faerie thought she was alone. At the far edge of the Springs was a stereo made entirely out of clouds, playing an upbeat pop tempo. She swayed her hips from side-to-side as she began to sing the opening of the song "Wannabe" off-key. She usually wouldn't perform such a thing in the presence of other beings.

The Soup Faerie could only stare at her fellow faerie after she spotted her. It was shockingly bad, considering the Water Faerie's resemblance to a siren. Her dancing was decent, she decided. When she hit the 'ziggyzigahh' part, however, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She doubled over laughing hysterically.

Blaze tried to hold in his laughter as well, but it resulted in the same as the Soup Faerie. He burst with laughter, eventually falling over onto his back, fortunately not on his bandaged wounds.

The Water Faerie whirled around upon hearing the unexpected laughter of two arrivals, letting out a surprised shriek that she had been caught. Her face flushed a bright shade of pink and her face clearly displayed her embarrassment.

"Oh, hun," the Soup Faerie wheezed between giggles, "I thought I was weird when I talked to myself when I was alone." With effort, she controlled herself until she only giggled intermittently, she said, "Sorry," obviously not.

"Please don't tell anyone I sing to the Spice Girls!" the Water Faerie exclaimed in a begging tone. She didn't think she could take any more embarrassment if anyone else knew about her horrible singing habit.

Blaze's laughter slowed to an eventual stop, breathing heavily. He pulled himself up painfully in a sitting position. "Sure… thing… ma'am…"

"I dunno," the Soup Faerie said, giving her sister a positively mischievous grin. "This could be delicious blackmail material."

"So is the fact that you talk to yourself," the Water Faerie huffed, crossing her arms and trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Come on, miss Soup Faerie, maybe you could let her slide this one time," Blaze grinned deviously from his sitting position, giving her leg a gentle nudge with his muzzle.

"Hey, I don't quote outdated pop icons when I talk to myself." She reached down casually to ruffle Blaze's ears when he nosed her. "And give up leverage over my big sister, the all-important Water Faerie? I dunno. I feel like I should get at least something out of this." She tapped her foot consideringly.

"Did you want something or what?" the Water Faerie asked grumpily. Normally, she was patient and laidback, but she really didn't like being picked on by her younger sibling.

"Well, I was bringing my friend Blaze here to get fixed up. I had some unpleasant visitors last night, and he chased them off the donation money." She smiled gratefully down at the lupe, then back at her sister. "I'd appreciate it if you'd help him out."

Blaze's heart was aflutter at the Soup Faerie's grateful smile. He tore his eyes from her and went to the Water Faerie, awaiting for her answer.

The Water Faerie nodded as she listened to the Soup Faerie, and impressed of the lupe's heroic deed. She certainly couldn't turn him down for helping her sister. "Okay, fine. Get in," she commanded Blaze, gesturing with her hand for him to step into the water that was sparkling with faerie magic. The lupe obeyed, sliding into the cool spring. The Water Faerie lifted her hands, sending light blue waves of her magic from them, and onto Blaze. In a matter of moments, the bandages disappeared along with his wounds. "There." She lowered her hands once the spell was over.

The Soup Faerie smiled and fluttered her wings, gliding out over the water to give her sister a hug. "Maybe just stick to humming from now on. And I'll be collecting on my blackmail next time I swing by!"

The Water Faerie responded to the hug with one of her own. "Don't count on it, sis," she smirked with a hint of smugness.

"Thanks a lot, ma'am!" Blaze gratefully thanked the Water Faerie, who modestly waved it off, as he climbed out of the magical pool. He was amazed that he wasn't the slightest bit wet; that spring really is magical. He stood up, slightly less wobbly than before, and smiled at the Soup Faerie. "Ready to go back?"

"We'll see, indeed. Don't make me tell Illusen. She has a horribly sadistic sense of humor," the Soup Faerie warned, wagging a finger at her blonde sister. With that, she fluttered over to Blaze, spreading magic over herself as she went, and put a hand on his shoulder to cover him as well. In a second, they were gone, back at the door to her Soup Kitchen. There, a line halfway around the house formed in the time they had been gone. "Time to earn your keep, sir," she told her assistant, pushing up her sleeves.

Blaze grinned and his tail wagged in anticipation for finally being able to help the faerie. For starters, he mostly did the cleaning for her while she served the pets and cooked the soup. The day went by and evening fell upon Neopia. The lupe had placed a now clean bowl at the top of the stack that he had also washed. He let out a satisfied sigh and glanced over at the faerie who was at the cauldron.

The last few latecomers were straggling in for their soup, and closing time was coming up quickly. The Soup Faerie readjusted her bandana, feeling bone weary but immensely satisfied with her work. Most of the soup was gone, enough left for a quick snack before bed for her and Blaze. She glanced over at him and smiled. He had been very helpful and was good at staying out from underfoot, despite his size. The last customer, a yellow uni, brought his bowl up, and the Soup Faerie took it with a wish for him to have a good evening, walking him out so she could shut and lock the door for the night. She leaned back against it and let out a long breath. "Phew."

"Yeah, you're ready for bed, aren't you, missy?" Blaze smiled, spooning a couple of bowls of the remaining soup for himself and the Soup Faerie. He knew he was ready for bed.

Her head thanked back against the wood of the door as she enjoyed just standing still. The thought of bed was delicious. But then she remembered what had happened that morning, and her eyes opened as her pulse quickened. What if that happened again? _'What if I want that to happen again? Oh dear…' _She swallowed carefully. "Most definitely," she said, finding her mouth dry.

Blaze brought the bowls to the bench and he sat himself down. He smiled at her, "After we eat, we can head off to bed."

She nodded and pushed away from the door, sliding onto the bench and nearly inhaling her soup. After years of serving it, she hardly noticed the taste of her own soup, but she was hungry. While she ate, she fought to keep her eyelids from drooping. "Gosh, I'm about to fall asleep in my bowl. Funny how it never hits until I sit down, and then I can't stay awake at-" She yawned wide, "all."

Blaze nodded and finished off his own soup a few minutes after she did. He stood up, now getting the hang of moving on his hind legs, taking her empty bowl. "I'll take care of washing these while you get to bed."

As he took her bowl, she patted his hand companionably. "Thanks, hun, you've been a big help." She shambled toward her room, pulling off bandana and apron as she went. She nearly fell into the doorframe as she went through it, and shook herself. "C'mon, just have to get ready for bed," she told herself. She picked her nightgown up off the floor where she had thrown it in her hurry this morning and changed swiftly. She picked up her brush and combed out the kinks as she went to the door. "Ready when you are."


	6. In Need of Comfort

Pony: Hooray for more intimacy! Muahahahaha!!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony still doesn't own Neopets.

Pony: Not yet…

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Six: In Need of Comfort_

"Okay, almost done," Blaze called to her. He dried off the last bowl and set it upon the stack. The lupe headed to the bedroom and closed the door behind him. Letting out a big yawn, he picked up the comforter that had fallen on the floor the previous night and climbed into bed. He curled up snug and warm and he smiled tiredly at the Soup Faerie. "Goodnight."

The Soup Faerie had the irrational urge to find a sword to lay between them in the bed. Shaking off her misgivings, she found the corner of her own messy blanket and slipped under them, wiggling until she was comfortably cocooned underneath them. "G'night, Blaze."

Blaze drifted off to sleep with a smile on his furry features. A few hours had passed when the lupe started tossing and turning, shaking the bed. His dreams had been intruded by visions of the Neopian Pound, only they were horrifyingly exaggerated. He rolled back and forth, the comforter eventually rolled off the bed with him, and fell onto the floor. After a few more minutes of wriggling in his sleep, his eyes snapped open, his chest heaving.

The small faerie was a fairly heavy sleeper, and was oblivious to her bed partner's nightmare, until he rolled off the bed and hit the floor. The loud noise, combined with the sudden cold as all the covers on the bed were pulled to one side, half woke her. "Hm?" she murmured, curling in on herself and reaching for the covers. "That you, Blaze?" she asked, half-conscious. There was no response, and she slowly became more awake, half turning over to look for him. He wasn't there, and she followed the covers over the side of the bed, finding him thrashing on the floor. She stretched down to touch his shoulder just as he woke up, breathing hard. "Blaze, what's wrong?"

Blaze sat up, panting from the adrenalin caused by the disturbing dream, and looked up at the faerie. "Oh… just… nightmare…"

Taking fistfulls of blanket, she gathered her comforter around her shoulders like a cape before slipping off the bed. The floor was icy, so she tucked the blanket beneath her, and wrapped it around the lupe, even over his head, creating a cave of warmth. "Tell me about it."

"… It… showed… disturbing images… of… starving pets at the Neopian Pound," Blaze explained, still shaken up from the nightmare. "Spending years there… I should be use to it, but… seeing them suffer like that… it…" The lupe closed his eyes and shuddered, unable to continue.

She could feel him shaking next to her, and reached out to take one of his paws, holding it between her hands as she leaned into him, sharing her warmth and support. He had not only suffered, but witnessed the suffering of others, and narrowly escaped death. She wasn't surprised he was traumatized by it. "You're going to try to help them, aren't you?"

Blaze accepted the comfort, needing it badly. He brushed his muzzle over he head and nuzzled her. "Yes… somehow I will…" He lowered his muzzle and began nuzzling the side of her head, his nose unintentionally rubbing against her ear.

She had leaned her cheek into his shoulder, thinking of nothing but reassuring him. His soft muzzle against her temple was comforting. His words worried her, however. What those pets were going through was terrible, true, but he could only do so much. And even if he succeeded in jail breaking the starving pets, what would they do next? Without the protection of an owner, most would be easy pickings for the big bad things lurking Neopia. Her worried musings were completely derailed when his nose touched the shell of her ear. Every muscle in her stomach tensed and warmed and her heart picked up speed. _'Control yourself.' _"You won't go without a good plan, I hope," she said, swallowing delicately.

"Yeah…" Blaze breathed into her ear as he continued nuzzling her. He closed his eyes, absorbing the comfort. Just her being there made him feel better. His nuzzling became more passionate. Right now he didn't care how it looked, he felt the need to show her how grateful he was to her for taking him in. He felt that she needed to know, and he did not bother thinking and he let his next words flow freely and gently into her ear. "Miss Soup Faerie… thank you for everything… I don't think I would even be alive if it wasn't for you… You're the best thing that ever happened to me…"

"Good," she replied, but her voice was hardly a whisper, as her throat had gone dry. The intent behind his touch was becoming much more evident, and she could no longer pretend he wasn't interested in more than a friendship with her. Her lips parted, her breathing deepening. Instead of feeling horrified at his advances, or simply embarrassed, her whole body responded with heat and sensitivity. A shiver traced down her spine. Large eyes showing her surprise, she turned to look at him. "Um," she said, at a loss for words. "Y-you're welcome. I was glad to do it. I'm sure you would have been fine without me, but I'm… happy I got to meet you."

Blaze ceased his nuzzling to smile back at her lovingly. He brought his muzzle to the other side of her head and resumed his affectionate cuddle. He lifted a paw up behind her head and he began to slowly stroke her hair as he continued nuzzling her.

She held very still, neither encouraging nor discouraging him as he moved closer. She soaked in the sensations. The velvet against her cheek, the gentle sweep of his hand over her hair, all of his warmth and softness against her, nearly overwhelming. Inside, she fought with herself. Should she stop him? Did she want this? A tiny sound like a moan escaped her, a response to her inner turmoil and the sensations he evoked.

His ears twitched at the soft sound that left her mouth and a rush of excitement surged through him and encouraged his actions. He continued stroking her hair, but instead of continuing his nuzzling, he began licking her cheek continuously. His other paw that was held by the Soup Faerie's hands shifted, his thumb repeatedly stroked the skin over one of her hands.

Unable to help herself, she tilted her head up and back, and lifted the hand not trapped beneath his to his torso. Her fingers ran through the thick fur of his chest, up and over until she was holding him close to her with her palm against the crook of his shoulder and neck.

As the Soup Faerie tilted her head back, his tongue grazed the sensitive skin on her throat. He figured that was where she wanted to be licked, so he did. He could hardly believe that she was allowing him to do this much with her, and even more so that she was responding. He shivered pleasurably as she ran her fingers through his fur. He was dazed and lost in what he was doing and his heart thundered wildly in his chest out of his love for her.

Melting, the Soup Faerie sagged against Blaze. His tongue slipped over the soft skin of the side of her throat, and again, her delicate fingers sank deeper into his fur. Her body made up her mind for her. The hand he was stroking gently turned until she could twine her fingers into his. Her eyes were closed, and she could feel the heavy thump of his heart against her chest, as her own made her shudder.

Though Blaze had never done this before, his instincts guided him on what he should do. Now they were telling him to do something else. Following them, the paw that was located at the back of the faerie's head slid down her side and stopped at her hip. He was being told to rub it, and he did. Unbeknownst to him, he was now rubbing one of the pleasure points. His tongue glided along the skin on her neck before it stopped at the side of it. There, he applied pressure with his tongue, massaging the area.

As his palm coasted down her body, she moved with him, almost subconsciously shifting into his hand. When he stopped at her hip, she tensed, hips moving automatically. His tongue added to the sensation, and her hand brushed up through the fur at the back of his neck, her fingers briefly twirling over one of his large ears before she cupped his cheek, holding him close to her. Her voice came out on a whimper. "Blaze?" She wasn't even sure what she was asking for, perhaps reassurance that what they were doing was okay.

He paused at the sound of her voice. Bringing his muzzle back to her cheek, he nuzzled her reassuringly and topped it off with not a lick, but a kiss, a furry kiss on her cheek.

The Soup Faerie felt the gentle kiss and went still. She looked up at him as he drew away, and her expression was inscrutable. It was an entirely chaste kiss, considering the circumstances, but it was perhaps the most intimate thing he had done so far. She thought she could feel her heart shake. This meant more to him than a simple matter of a need for comfort after a terrible nightmare. She used her hand against his cheek to keep his eyes level with hers. "Why are you doing this?" she asked seriously.

Blaze felt every muscle in his body tense up at the question, growing very nervous. There would be no way out of this, especially since he wouldn't be able to bring himself to fib to her, even if it was to cover up how he felt about her. The lupe swallowed hard and forced out his words. "I-I…" He sighed briefly and got a better hold on himself. "Miss Soup Faerie… I-I d-don't know… h-how I'm g-gonna tell you this w-without it… it sounding… c-crazy…"

Likewise, she sobered quickly, the stark arousal he had ignited in her banking. Her expression was absolutely serious, and she tried not to let the sudden fear he had started with his words get to her. Terrible scenarios leapt into her mind, and she squelched them, preferring to hear him defend himself first. Still, she pulled her hands away and clasped them in front of her stomach. "I suggest you tell me, sir," she said, calm.

His ribs expanding and contracting at a faster pace as his breathing quickened with shaken nerves, he was close to panicking. "I… I l-love y-you…" The large red lupe was trembling, more frightened than he had ever been in his entire life, dreading a negative reaction, and the look in his eyes made it perfectly clear.

"Oh, gosh." The Soup Faerie's serious expression vanished. She ducked her head, shoulders going down, her whole spine losing its starch as relief unknotted her tight muscles. A short huff of a laugh shook her, and she looked up at him with a smile. "Is that all? Here I was worried some slime ball sent you to seduce me out of my secret ingredients or something." Sympathy flooded her when she saw his deeply worried face, and she picked up one of his hands, patting it reassuringly. "But a crush is entirely different."

Blaze felt a sweep of relief at the faerie's reaction. Though he had told her how he felt about her, she merely took it as a simple crush. At least that was better than the negative response he had expected from her. He offered a small smile and nodded.

"But I feel I have to tell you, hun, I don't think I'm the one for you." Her face was kind and sincere. "You've been trapped for so long in that awful pound, I'm sure it must have been such a relief to find a place of warmth and comfort and understanding. But that isn't love." It didn't even cross her mind that it could be real love. He didn't know her well enough to love her. The thought made her momentarily sad - she had never found anyone to love before, never let herself try.

Blaze's smile disappeared and his ears fell back as a sharp, stabbing pain exploded in his chest. She had it all wrong, what he felt for her was so much more than a crush, but he could understand that it would be difficult for her to take in, or even accept. After all, they were different species. "It's… because I'm a lupe… isn't it?"

'_Shucks.' _The lupe's whole demeanor said he was crushed, and she bit her lip, her heart going out to him. "Well, that wasn't what I meant. I mean, we only just met. But, yes, the fact that you're a lupe is… part of it. You have to admit, it's never been done."

Blaze could feel tears sting his eyes, the blow of heartbreak was overwhelming and cruelly excruciating. If only she would give him a chance, he couldn't remember the last time anyone had; the children were the exception. It wasn't his fault he was what he was. His outward appearance was the very reason he was abandoned at the Neopian Pound, why he was never adopted, and why he had been rejected by every single female he attempted to court - he could not blame them for rejecting him, it was instinct. It would go against the female neopet's natural selection of a mate to choose one too large for her. Such a folly would result in undeveloped offspring that could very much so end in death for both mother and children. The lupe lowered his head, not wanting the Soup Faerie to see that he was on the verge of crying. "I feel so stupid. My size has always kept me from being loved… I guess there's no reason why that would change…"

"Hun, look at me." Her voice was uncompromising. To emphasize her command, she lifted his chin with her crooked finger. When she saw the welling of tears in his eyes, her heart broke for him. Tears of sympathy welled up, and she fought them down. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. "You are the most lovable lupe I have ever met. Somewhere out there is a girl just as perfect as you, waiting for a hero." _'I don't need a hero,'_ she told herself, trying to believe it.

"Have you ever seen any female neopets near my size?" Blaze asked. He certainly hadn't. he never even heard of any female neopet that matched his stature. All the ones he saw, male or female, were normal in size and any of the unusually large ones were not even close. The only huge pets he had heard of were towering giants that could crush him.

She thought about it, and sighed. "No, I suppose I haven't." Much as she wanted to think it didn't matter, it did. But that didn't mean she was the answer. Her expression showed how upset she was to have hurt him, and how certain she was that she couldn't be what he needed. Letting go of him, she rubbed her hand over her face. "I'm sorry," she said softly, feeling like she was failing him.

"Then… I guess I'm destined to be alone…" he said to himself as he lowered his head again and rubbed his eyes. Wait… what was he thinking? Blaze shook his head lightly. Why should he have to spend his life alone? He could at least ask the Soup Faerie for a chance to make it work. It would be more than enough to make up for the countless rejections he had endured throughout his life. He lifted his head to face her, gazing into her eyes. "Please… Miss Soup Faerie… I just… want to ask you… for one chance… just one… please…"

She covered her eyes, miserable, hearing the dejection in his voice. She wanted to help, but she couldn't be with him. As much as he could turn her on, kind as he was, as good with children, as heroic… she was a faerie and he a lupe. Her head lifted when he spoke again. His tone had changed, and he met her eyes earnestly. When he looked at her that way, she couldn't say no. "Everyone deserves a chance," she replied solemnly.

Blaze's expression conveyed joy as the Soup Faerie accepted his request. In his unbridled happiness, he began covering her face with licks.

"Hey, now!" she squeaked as she was bowled over and smothered with happy licks. "Don't get too excited."

Blaze backed off. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself." He leaned in again, slowly this time, and planted another kiss on her cheek.

The Soup Faerie's heart fluttered, but she pushed down the sensation. She was going to be practical about this if it killed her. "I think we should sleep on this. I know I at least need the sleep for tomorrow."

He nodded with a loving smile. "After you, milady." He gestured with a paw and a slight bow.

The Soup Faerie wondered what she was getting herself into. In retrospect, she wasn't comfortable with giving Blaze false hope. But she lived by the idea that everyone deserved a chance. So she got to her feet, blanket still wrapped around her, and climbed up on her bed, flopping down and shifting over to leave him some room.

Blaze climbed into bed after her, pulling his comforter with him. He wrapped it snuggly around his body. "Goodnight… again." He leaned in momentarily to place a kiss on her forehead, then settled down, closing his eyes.

Eyes already closed, she ducked her head as if he could see the blush that tinged her cheeks in the dark - when he gave her a swift peck. With an effort of will, she quelled her worries and the pesky butterflies in her stomach, and tried to go to sleep.


	7. A Tragic Loss

Pony: Here be chapter seven!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony still doesn't own Neopets and she never will.

Pony: That's what you think.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Seven: A Tragic Loss_

An hour passed into the night, then there was a sudden pounding at the front door. The red lupe's ears perked to the sound, waking him up. He lifted his head and listened in, now alert. He thought about checking it out and letting the Soup Faerie sleep, until he heard a few familiar voices.

"Miss Sewp Faewie! Bwaze!" came the faint, panicked voice of Minga that was followed by similar shouts from Flamo and Daisy and more pounding at the door.

Even the heavy-sleeping Soup Faerie couldn't completely block out the pounding on the door, and she had something of a sense for a Neopian in need anyhow. She came awake groggy and disoriented, having finally sunk into deep sleep, and was halfway out of bed before she fully realized what was going on. Not bothering with real clothes, she headed straight to the front door and threw it open. "What's wrong?" she asked, loud enough to be heard over the upset.

Blaze was close behind her, joining her at the doorway. Surely, there they were: Minga, Flamo, and Daisy. The only one who was missing was the green kacheek, Zeek. "Where's Zeek?" he asked.

"At home! His house is on fire!" Daisy exclaimed, pointing into the direction that showed a series of housing compartments. One of them was emitting a bright and eerie orange glow that lit up the area.

"Oh, no…" the Soup Faerie whispered, hand going to her mouth. She started running, picking up Daisy as she went, since she seemed to be the spokes pet. "Is he still in the house?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even. "Were you there when the house caught on fire?"

Blaze picked up the two remaining children, running alongside the Soup Faerie and the cybunny, who shook her head. "H-he was when we left."

The shoyru was the next one to speak up, his voice filled with anxiety. "I live next door so I was the first to see his house on fire."

The lupe picked up speed, drawing closer to the burning house. Once they arrived, he was relieved to see that the fire department had arrived. But his relief was short-lived and replaced with panic when he couldn't find Zeek anywhere. He set the two children in his arms gently onto the ground.

The small faerie was no match for the tall lupe in speed, and from long habit, the faerie gave up on running and flew, able to keep up by doing so. She cradled Daisy close, more for her own comfort than Daisy's, as they stopped in front of the flaming house. She searched for Zeek in the crowd of Neopians who had been attracted by the flames, and didn't see him. She looked over at Blaze, and knew he hadn't been able to spot the kacheek either. Biting her lip in worry, she settled to the ground and put Daisy with her friends. "I think he's still inside," her voice sounded panicky. "We have to get him out."

Blaze spotted a couple of chias trying to break down the door with their hand axes, little bit at a time. The lupe's eyes widened. That could only confirm that Zeek was still inside. Deciding that the firefighters weren't moving fast enough, he dropped on all fours and made a mad dash toward the house, barreling between the chias and knocking down the door with his own body, and disappeared inside.

The children watched the scene in horror as the red lupe recklessly broke into the house that still contained their friend.

The Soup Faerie chewed on her lower lip, trying to think, too distracted to realize Blaze's reckless plan until it was too late. "Blaze!" she gasped, heart freezing. She took a lurching step forward, on the verge of going in after him, but realized the folly of that idea - the most she would do would be to add to the body count. She must have looked stricken, because first one, then the other two of the little ones surrounded her, one stretching up to take her hand, the others clinging to her nightgown. All of them watched the fire as seconds ticked by, and then minutes, and Blaze didn't come back out.

XXX

Blaze dashed into the living room, which was crowded with thick black smoke that started to stick his eyes and tickle his lungs. He lowered himself to the floor, combat crawling along and weaving through the maze of scorching flames. The air was hot and heavy and filling with even more choking smoke. He called out for the little kacheek, only to get no response. He eventually bumped into a flight of stairs and he figured that he may be in his room. He noticed that Zeek's scent was stronger as he climbed up the staircase. The higher he went, the thicker the smoke became. He let out a couple of coughs as he inhaled some of it. Once he reached the top, he called out the kacheek's name again, as loud as he could, hoping his voice wouldn't be drowned out by the roaring flames that surrounded the area. _'Come on, Zeek. Where are you?'_

_XXX  
_

More and more pets were gathering around the house, drawn by curiosity. The little pets' owners came looking for them. The Soup Faerie was oblivious to it, watching the house, willing Blaze to come out with Zeek. A window shattered from the heat, eliciting shrieks from the audience as flames erupted from the new hole in the house. A firefighter tried to get her to back away from the house, and she shook him off and took to the air with sudden resolve, flitting around the house, looking for open windows, rooms that didn't look like they were on fire. At the back of the house, she was surprised to see a pair of dark figures struggling to climb over the back fence. "Hey, it's not safe for-" she stopped, close enough now to recognize them, and she drew back. "You two! You started this, didn't you?" she accused.

"Faster, Torch, faster!" one of the dark figures, a Darigan eyrie, urged his partner, a Darigan draik, the claws on his hind paws raking across the wood of the fence. The two eventually made it over the fence and fell to the ground on the other side.

"Run, Nightwing!" the draik exclaimed as they scrambled to their feet and darted off into the darkness.

XXX

Blaze inhaled a tiny amount through his nostrils, wanting to keep as much smoke out of his lungs as he possibly could and continued to follow the scent of the kacheek that stood out the most; his scent was everywhere in the house. He coughed again, his lungs were starting to ache. Eventually, he wandered into Zeek's room, and his watery eyes found something small and bright green through the black smoke. "Zeek?" He crawled over to it, placing a paw on the green object. It was Zeek, and apparently, he had lost consciousness from the causation of too much smoke in his tiny lungs. He picked up the child, holding him close in his arms. _'It's okay, buddy. I got you. I'm gonna get you out of here. Just hold on.' _Blaze coughed again and again, his burning eyes searching the room for a window. At last, he found it. Not wasting any time, the lupe hurled himself at the window, shattering it. He somersaulted on the roofing, his body scraping against it, and causing a few shingles to slide off as he rolled off and landed on his back onto the grassy earth of the backyard.

The Soup Faerie fumed impotently, watching the Darigan pets flee into the night and thinking very unkind things about the two and planning an immediate trip to the Defenders of Neopia to report them the next day. _'What kind of insensitive-' _she started and whirled in midair as the sound of more shattering glass exploded behind her. Instead of flames, the singed and soot-covered form of a red lupe cannon balled out, hit the roof and slid before falling to the grass below.

"Blaze!" she shouted, streaking toward him. He was lying on his back with a small green figure held in his arms. It took her seconds to fly around to the front of the house and shout that Zeek and Blaze were out of the house out back, and then she was back by their sides. She landed hard on her knees next to Blaze and immediately checked to see if they were okay. "Blaze? Zeek? Can you hear me?"

The lupe let out a string of coughs and wheezes as he sat up, still cradling the kacheek in his arms. He saw the Soup Faerie next to him and held out Zeek for her to take.

She hesitated to take him, wanting the paramedics to look him over, but she picked him up gently anyway, nodding, and raced back toward the firemen. When they saw the tiny green kacheek, they converged on her, a couple coming up with a stretcher, and she placed him on it carefully, stepping back, chewing on her lip worriedly as he was taken toward the ambulance.

"Soup Faerie, is the lupe all right?"

"I don't know, he's in the back." She didn't bother waiting, instead opting to grab one of the chia paramedics and fly him over the fence. The others could hack through with their machetes.

Still disoriented and dazed, Blaze unsteadily rose to his feet, coughing and gasping for fresh air. He attempted to take a step forward, before losing his balance and falling back onto the ground.

The chia the Soup Faerie was carrying seemed a little disgruntled, but went straight to work when she put him on the ground. As Blaze slumped back to the ground, she rushed over to him, and fluttered uselessly as the paramedic started taking his vitals, completely professional. She wrung her hands, frowning. "I keep telling you and telling you about plans, and you keep having to be a hero…" she said it quietly, starting off sounding gruff, but her voice broke on the last word. Shock was setting in and she started to shake. The chia glanced at her, then told her to go back to the others and get a blanket. She ignored him.

Head clearing and coughing subsiding, the lupe made another attempt to stand, only to fall once again. He shook his head. Feeling the need to comfort the trembling faerie, he gathered himself up yet again, standing successfully this time. Blaze's hands reached for the Soup Faerie's, gently pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her, holding her close.

The chia frowned at the lupe as he got up. "Don't try to walk, you'll only… fall." He sighed and shook his head as the stubborn lupe landed on the ground again. He spared only a short look of surprise at the caring way he held the Soup Faerie before going back to his job with a grumbled, "Well, at least you'll keep her warm. She's going into shock."

Behind them, the firemen had broken the lock on the fence gate and were swarming in with a stretcher to usher them out.

"Time to get you away from here," the blue lupe fire chief told them. "This is still a dangerous place to be."

An acara nurse bustled over with a blanket to wrap around the Soup Faerie as she tried to pull her out of the red lupe's arms so he could be put on the stretcher. Just as the nurse did so, there was an ear-shattering rumble. Pets and owners turned their attention back to the house as the structure supporting the roof gave away. The burning building crumbled to the ground as it was crushed by the rooftop, the audience watching the phenomenon as if it happened in slow motion. Pieces of ignited wood, concrete, shingles, and glass flew everywhere and clouds of smoke and dust rose up in puffed clusters.

"Oh, God… the owner was still inside…" one of the chias said gravely.

Thankfully the group had moved away from the house before it went down, because it went down hard. Far away as they were, the dust and smoke billowing out still made the Soup Faerie cough violently as she huddled under the blanket, walking beside the stretcher. The sad pronouncement of Zeek's orphaned state made her turn to look back at the house, sorrow overtaking her. "Oh no… what will happen to him now?" But she already knew - he would have to go to the Neopian Pound.

"We'll have someone take the little fella to the pound once we're done here," the chia answered for the Soup Faerie, overhearing her.

"No." Blaze immediately responded sternly, the tone in his voice close to a growl while he stared defiantly at the chia.

"Then what are we suppose to do with him?" he asked.

Blaze let out a huff of a sigh, and turned his head to the Soup Faerie with a pleading puppy-dog expression on his face. It was perfectly clear what he was thinking. He couldn't just let Zeek go to the pound, especially concerning the fact that he was just a child. The experience would only be far more traumatizing for him.

The Soup Faerie met Blaze's pleading eyes and her lips pressed flat. _'You can't save them all this way.' _She turned to the chia and said, "Not tonight. He just lost his home and his owner and nearly died himself. I know him, he'll be comfortable with me." Her eyes returned to Blaze's. "For now." Having an assistant was one thing, but a child? She was the Soup Faerie - she had a giant cauldron of soup, not an orphanage.

Blaze's heart leaped and he threw an arm around her. "Thank you." He applied a bunch of licks to her cheek, unaware that his wagging tail was repeatedly smacking the chia in the face.

The Soup Faerie heaved a long, resigned sigh and suffered the grateful licking with as much dignity as she could. The chia squeaked and fended off the thrashing of Blaze's tail. They were beside the ambulance now, and she could see a paramedic giving the little kacheek a healing potion. The little thing's body was so covered in soot it hardly looked green anymore.

Another paramedic approached Blaze with a healing potion in hand. "We'll have you two as right as rain in a jiff."

Blaze ceased his licking, brushing his paw along the faerie's cheek as he took his arm away, accepting the healing potion with a thanks, and drank it down.

The Soup Faerie's heart fluttered, but saw the suspicious look on the nurse acara's face and instantly felt uneasy and squirmed away from Blaze, blushing and feeling guilty. She went over to Zeek, who was waking up, and brushed a comforting hand over his head. "Feeling better, hun? You're coming over to stay at my house tonight."

"Where's Mama?" Zeek asked, his eyes filled with worry and fear. He had not been told the news of the tragic decease of his owner.

The anxiety in Zeek's voice made the Soup Faerie's heart ache. She felt tears pool in her eyes and she rubbed at them, and then scooped the little kacheek up and held him close to her chest. "She didn't make it out of the house, dear," she said as gently as she could.

Zeek stared up at the Soup Faerie for a few long moments, slowly comprehending what she had just told him. His body started to shake with incoming sobs and tears streamed from his eyes. "M-Mama…" He buried his face in her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

One tear escaped and trickled down the Soup Faerie's cheek as she rocked him back and forth, rubbing his back and murmuring to him. She was afraid he had hurt himself, as hard as he was sobbing. "Oh, love, I'm sorry," she crooned, more tears running down her face. At a loss for what to do with the grief-stricken pet, she looked around for Blaze.

The lupe slowly got up from the stretcher and he strode over to them, his face engraved with concern and sympathy for the kacheek's loss. He placed a paw on Zeek's small head, stroking it as the Soup Faerie did with his back. "It'll be all right, buddy," he said soothingly.

Zeek shook his head and whimpered, snuffling more heavily into the Soup Faerie's shirt. Fortunately, he was exhausted, and his crying died down to whimpers, and then sniffles, and then he was asleep.

The Soup Faerie's shoulder muscles were tight from worry and rocking the kacheek, but she kept hold of him. Her eyes hurt, and drying tears chilled her cheeks. The ambulance had gone, and the firefighters were laying down more water to put out the cinders. Emotionally and physically depleted, she leaned over and rested her forehead on Blaze's shoulder. "Let's go home."

"Yeah," Blaze responded softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping kacheek. He wrapped a comforting arm over her shoulders as he and the Soup Faerie made their way back to the Soup Kitchen. He nuzzled her head reassuringly and licked the tears off one of her cheeks. "I'll take care of him in the morning and escort him to school tomorrow. Then we can get back on track."

She just nodded, too tired to ask what he had planned for the day after, or the day after that, or when the child was settling in and starting to think of his as his new home. A growing kacheek didn't belong in a soup kitchen. The faerie headed straight bed, barely able to pull the covers up over her and Zeek before she was nearly asleep - though her half-conscious mind did remember to leave enough room for Blaze.

Blaze climbed into bed, curling up under his comforter and cuddling up next to the faerie and kacheek. He fell asleep the instant he closed his eyes.


	8. Hostage Situation

Pony: All right! Here's chapter eight!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Eight: Hostage Situation_

In the early morning, Blaze awoke, groggy but forcing his still heavy eyelids to stay open. Rubbing at them and slowly peeling off his comforter, he reached under the Soup Faerie's blankets, and carefully picked up the sleeping kacheek out from underneath, taking care not to wake her. He carried him out of the bedroom where he proceeded to wake him.

Zeek was confused at first, wondering why he was at the Soup Kitchen before remembering the dreadful incident that took place the previous night, and his heart went hallow. It took him a few minutes to realize that Blaze was asking him what he wanted for breakfast, and in a soft voice, he answered for pancakes.

Blaze set the child down and searched through the cookbooks and ingredients until he had everything he needed. He glanced over at the little kacheek with heartfelt sympathy, and asked him if he wanted to help make the pancakes, hoping it would lift his mood. Sure enough, it did somewhat. The pancakes weren't perfect, but at least they weren't burnt. He topped a pancake with a generous portion of maple syrup and set it down on the table for Zeek to start eating. The lupe placed a couple on another plate for the Soup Faerie and he went outside for a moment to pluck a few wildflowers. He stepped lightly into the faerie's bedroom, placing the plate, fork, and flowers upon the nightstand next to her bed. Blaze smiled softly down at the Soup Faerie's sleeping form, his heart fluttering at the sight of her peaceful face. He tore his eyes away once he remembered Zeek, and he left the room. As he washed the dishes he used to cook the pancakes, he kept an eye on the little kacheek as he slowly ate, sorrow weighing down on his appetite. Once Zeek was finished, the lupe cleaned his face off, and they were out the door, heading toward the school.

XXX

The Soup Faerie was enjoying a pleasant, if confusing, dream about daffodils and the Water Faerie singing "Row Row Row Your Boat" when she had the odd revelation that the daffodils smelled like syrup. She took a deep breath, realizing she was hungry. It was the hunger that woke her up, and she sat up with the memory of the smell of syrup. And then realized that she really was smelling syrup, and looked around, spotting the plate of pancakes. Her stomach rumbled loudly. _'Wow, I haven't had pancakes in forever,'_ she thought. Usually she just ate soup. She reached for the plate before noticing the flowers. They made her flush a pleased pink as she realized they had to have come from Blaze. Sighing, she scarfed down the pancakes before heading off to get dressed.

Two familiar figures, the devious Darigan neopets slinked into the Soup Kitchen, their extra large talons lightly tapping the wooden planks of the floor as they made their way across the room as quietly as the could. They tiptoed over to their first prize, the soup cauldron. Working together - after the draik had set down the old and dusty potato sack and held a folded up piece of paper between his teeth - they tipped it over onto its side for easy movement, the heavy iron pot touching the floor with a soft clunk. As the eyrie proceeded to roll it out of the kitchen, peering out the door and making sure the coast was clear before making his move, the draik grabbed the potato sack and removed the note from his teeth, he went for cover and waited for the Soup Faerie to arrive into the kitchen.

The confusion and anxiety of the night before seemed to have been swept clean with the light of the morning. The Soup Faerie's mood was better than it had been in ages, and she even hummed a little to herself, between playfully scolding inanimate objects for being out of place around her room. She went so far as to take the wildflowers from her dresser and head out into the main room, intending to put them on the table next to the… cauldron. She froze and stared, nonplussed. The cauldron was gone.

With the faerie's back turned toward his direction, the Darigan draik slinked out of his hiding spot and held back a snicker as he approached her, then tapped her on the shoulder. "Ahem."

She started and turned, wings flapping in distress. Her eyes widened when she saw the draik, and then she glared at him. "What are you doing back here? I spent the donation money for the new supplies. What else do you want?" Her eyes flicked to the empty place where the cauldron usually was. "Why would you take the soup cauldron?" she asked, eyes narrow.

The draik chuckled sadistically. "Curious little faerie, aren't ya? There'll be plenty of time for explainin' later." In a flash, the draik dropped the potato sack and paper and pressed his thick thumb to the side of the faerie's neck, intending on making her pass out from lack of circulation.

She jerked back in surprise, but not fast enough to evade the sly draik. He leapt up, wrapping both hands around her throat to keep from being dislodged as she struggled, trying to pry him away. She couldn't breathe, and gasped, feeling her vision dim on the edges. Unable to keep fighting, she dropped to the floor, the flowers falling from her limp fingers.

The draik smirked smugly, lifting the Soup Faerie's unconscious body and stuffing her into the potato sack. Throwing the sack over his shoulder, his eyes lowered to the floor at the paper he had dropped when he attacked the faerie, and pushed it over to the flowers with his toe, deciding it would be found in that spot, and carried off his victim.

Blaze returned close to half an hour later, ready to assist the Soup Faerie for another day. He was surprised not to find her in the kitchen, nor the aroma of soup. With his primary focus upon the faerie, he hadn't noticed that the soup cauldron was missing, and he peeked into her room. She wasn't there. Puzzled, he headed back to the kitchen thinking he might have missed her. Once in the kitchen, he froze, now noticing that the cauldron was gone. Then he felt something under his foot. The flowers he left for her were scattered around his feet, and a piece of paper that was folded in half. He reached down and picked it up. He scanned the words scribbled down on it, his eyes widened and his insides turned to cold lead. On the note revealed what had happened to the Soup Faerie and the coordinates to her new location, and that he better come alone or else. He swallowed hard. Going alone would be foolish, but with the faerie in the hands of her kidnappers, he wasn't going to take any chances. He dropped the note and raced out the door.

XXX

The Darigan pets and the Soup Faerie were now located in an abandoned building in downtown Neopia Central. The draik had removed the faerie from the sack and tied her tightly to a chair. The large cauldron was sitting a few feet away with the eyrie accompanying it, leaning against it casually as he and his partner waited for their hostage to wake up.

The Soup Faerie woke up groggy. She coughed, and it was painful. Swallowing to wet her throat hurt as well. With a pained wheeze, she tried to lift a hand to feel her neck, but couldn't. Her hands were stuck, and felt like they were going numb. Opening her eyes and groaning, the Soup Faerie discovered that she was tied to a chair. Her shoulders sagged. This could not be good.

"Oh, good. You're awake," Nightwing grinned deviously. "I suppose you're wondering why you're here."

"Whatever you're doing, I'm not going to like it," she replied, her throat still hurting. "Feeding me to the Snowager so you can sneak in and take things… extortion from my sisters… just a good laugh with your friends… whatever it is, it won't work."

Torch laughed. "Nah, not this time. Since your buddy chased us off like scared little pansies, we decided to hit 'im where it hurts. Care to take a guess?"

'_It's your own fault you're pansies.'_ She swallowed, and it was less painful this time. "You stole the cauldron. You're going to starve the pets. You're sick."

The duo scoffed, and the draik spoke again, "Depends on what the decision o' that oversized freak is."

"He's not oversized," she snapped, without thinking. "You're just midgets," she ended lamely.

The draik and eyrie doubled over, nearly falling over, laughing hysterically like maniacs for a minute or two. Once their laughter slowed to a stop and took another minute to calm themselves down, Nightwing left his position beside the soup cauldron and approached the Soup Faerie, leaning an arm against the back of the chair.

"Like my friend said: depends on your pal's decision. When he gets here, he's gonna have to choose between the cauldron, or his _girlfriend_," he said, pinching her cheek at the last word.

The Soup Faerie's expression went entirely blank. "I'm not his girlfriend," she said, sounding hollow because she wasn't sure if it was true. Giving herself a mental slap, she pulled her head away from him. "And he'll do the right thing, which is to get the cauldron back. He understands the value of life, unlike yellow-bellied arsonists."

"No one calls me 'yellow'! I'm purple!" Torch hissed before getting a hold of himself, and speaking calmly. "No matter. Either way'll result in death and he'll know he coulda' prevented it. We originally thought o' killin' 'im, but why do that when pain an' guilt can eat at 'im from the inside for the rest o' his life?"

"Disgusting vermin," she muttered. It took a lot for the Soup Faerie to hate someone, but these two were getting close. She felt the burn of anger flood her and fought it. "He'll do the right thing, and he will move on to live a fulfilled life. He survived the pound and starvation and your sad attempt to steal from someone weaker than you - he'll survive anything you can do to him." She hoped it was true. She hoped he would take her words to heart and not let his big heart get in the way of living his life to the fullest.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe he will choose the cauldron," said Nightwing, now leaning against the back of the chair and examining his claws in a completely casual manner. "If he does… we tear you apart bit by bit starting with those delicate wings of yours," he threatened, whirling around and holding his sharp talons in front of the Soup Faerie's face for her to see.

"And the best part is… he'll be watchin' the whole thing while we do it," Torch added with a sinister grin.

She frowned and shook her head. "How do you think you'll manage that?"

They both thought for a moment.

"Shut up!" Nightwing snapped fiercely. "If he comes near you, we kill you right away!"

"Yeah!" Torch agreed, supporting his partner's words. "It'll work. An' to pull this whole thing off, we had to get that flea-bitten mongrel's attention off o' you an' on one o' those brats. A minor expense."

She tried to be relieved that the bumbling duo didn't seem to have a good plan, but where ingenuity failed, often stupidity made up for the lack. Inconspicuously, her fingers searched the ropes she could reach, looking for knots she could loosen, anything to keep her busy so she wouldn't panic in this predicament. "So, does your brilliant plan include telling him where we are, or did you not think through that part?"

"Yeah, I left 'im a note," said the draik.

"And when this is all done, if he ever does anything against us like what he did in that dump of yours, those rugrats are next," the eyrie threatened once again.

'_You won't be able to touch them.'_ She knew it without a doubt. Whatever happened to her, Blaze would keep these two from ever hurting anyone again. "Well, at least you remembered the simple stuff," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. She had found one of the knots and was pulling on it slowly, distracting them with questions. If they left a note, Blaze would find it as soon as he got home. He wouldn't have taken long to get back from taking Zeek to school. "How long was I out? I'm getting hungry," she lied.

"Who says we're gonna feed ya?" asked the draik, then he and his partner turned their attention to the door when a large red lupe came bursting in. He did not look happy. "Ah, here comes your knight in… um… fur - Never mind! He's here!"

Blaze stalked closer, hackles raised like quills, ears pinned flat against the back of his head, eyes glittering with rage, and his lips curled back in a snarl.

The Soup Faerie's heart jumped at the sight of him, her face lighting up. _'This is the second time you've come to my rescue,' _she thought. _'What happened to my independence?' _But Blaze certainly looked magnificent, bristling with anger, ready to kick butt and take names. "I was beginning to wonder where my champion was," she drawled.

Blaze dropped his vicious snarl to smile coolly at the Soup Faerie. "You actually think I'd let anything happen to you?"

Despite the dire circumstances, the Soup Faerie felt a bubble of laughter well up, but forced it down, settling for a grin in return. "Oh, I dunno, without me in the way, you'd get the soup cauldron. Apparently it's a prized commodity now," she said, keeping a perfectly straight face as she looked at the Darigan culprits.

"Pretty much, bone bag," the eyrie smirked, stepping away from the Soup Faerie and taking his previous position back to the soup cauldron. "Time for you to make your decision. Cauldron or the Soup Faerie?"

Torch nodded. "Choose the faerie, thousands o' pets starve to death. Pick the cauldron, we slaughter the faerie in front o' ya."

Blaze's brows rose, the words of the Darigan pets only made him even more furious. They may be bumbling idiots, but they were dangerous. He had the injuries to prove it. "What happens to the cauldron if I pick her?" he asked curiously.

The duo contemplated on the matter. Nightwing was the first to speak, "We… smash it"

"With… a sledgehammer… until it is useless!" Torch added on, trying to sound menacing, but failed miserably.

The Soup Faerie wondered what these two did with their time when they weren't stealing faeries and magical soup cauldrons. Thugs for hire? A slapstick comedy duo? She went still as she felt the knot she had been working on start to slip. Her lower lip tucked between her teeth while she concentrated, leaving Blaze to distract the other two.

Blaze looked at the two, shaking his head slightly at their answer. His eyes shifted from the cauldron to the Soup Faerie.

"Don't even bother thinking about it," the Soup Faerie told him, trying not to sound like she was more focused on getting herself loose. "Are you really going to let these ignoramuses bully you? I don't think they have it in them to pull off anything they say."

"Hey, shut up over there!" Torch barked, he nor his comrade taking their attention from Blaze as they waited anxiously for a reply. The draik's big mouth only received an enraged snarl from the red lupe.

"You can give us your answer anytime soon, mutt," said Nightwing.


	9. Little Heroes

Pony: Here be the chapter nine!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Nine: Little Heroes_

The early released children came racing down the dirt path a few hours after their classes had begun. There was a long line of hungry Neopians waiting in front of the Soup Kitchen. They bustled in through the doorway pass the front of the line, surprised to find no sign of the Soup Faerie or the red lupe. They were even more shocked to find the cauldron missing from its usual place. The little shoyru was the first to find the note resting on the wooden floor amongst the scattered flowers. He picked it up and summoned for his friends who had gone to search the cottage.

"What is it, Flamo?" Daisy queried, voicing her curiosity that matched the rest of the youngsters.

"It's a note," he replied, frowning as he concentrated on the cursive writing. "I… can't read it."

"Wemme see it!" Minga snatched the note from the shoyru's hands, her eyes looking over the unrecognizable print. None of the children had learned how to read cursive at their young age.

"Let's ask someone to read it," Zeek suggested.

"But Mum says to never talk to strangers," said Daisy.

"We can tawk tew a poweece officewr!" Minga declared with resolve.

"Okay, let's go find one." Zeek dashed out of the kitchen, his three friends tailing behind.

XXX

The knot had completely fallen away, and the Soup Faerie did her best to silently unwind the rope, wiggling free. She met Blaze's eyes and smirked before making a break for the door. The only way out was pass the Darigans. She ran straight into the draik, pushing him over in her charge toward the door, hoping he wouldn't be able to get up in time to stop her.

The draik scrambled to his feet, flapping his wings and speeding after her through the air, his sharp talons ready to slice open flesh. Blaze had too darted after, figuring that the draik would get up and pursue her. He pumped his legs as fast as they would go, intending on stopping the draik before he got to her.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she heard the beat of the draik's leathery wings picking it off the floor. She too was flying because it was faster, skimming low to the ground, but her wings had been crumpled by her position in the chair, not to mention the pins and needles inhibiting her now that her blood flow wasn't restricted. But then she heard the thud of paws on the floor, and knew Blaze was interceding. She streaked to the door and out.

Torch followed the Soup Faerie outside, closing in on her fast. Just as he was about to make his attack, Blaze had closed his jaws on his tail, stopping him in midair and dropping to the ground like a fly. The red lupe yanked on his tail, and whirled around in a semicircle before letting go, hurling back through the doorway. He turned to the faerie who had dropped to her feet. "I'll be back with the cauldron after taking care of those two, Soupy. I promise." Blaze gave her a quick nuzzle and darted back into the old building.

The faerie suppressed a shriek as she felt the fetid breath of the draik envelope her foot. She put on a burst of speed, knowing it wouldn't be enough, when she heard Torch scream in pain. She whirled to watch Blaze throw the reptilian Neopian back through the door, hearing him land with a series of thuds. Dropping back to the ground, she reached out to Blaze, intending to collapse on him, but he moved away too quickly. She clutched her hands, nearly protesting. But the cauldron was important. Far more important than she was.

Blaze dashed through the doorway, then tripped on the draik's tail. The red lupe skidded across the dusty floor and slowed to a stop a good distance away from the entrance. Both Darigan neopets were located on each side of the double doorway, with the eyrie holding a thick plank of wood in his paw. They both grinned smugly at him.

"We had a backup plan in case this didn't work," said Nightwing. "While you and Torch were outside, I activated the bomb I installed in the building."

Blaze's eyes widened in panic, rising to his feet and sprinting toward the entrance in a pathetic attempt to escape when his foes were already at the doorway. The duo closed the double doors behind them and the plank was slipped through the door handles, trapping the lupe inside.

"Ya have less than thirty seconds before _**kaboom**_!" Torch shouted, making sure his voice was loud enough to pierce through the heavy doors.

The faerie standing outside knew something was wrong when the two Darigan pets came out, looking smug. When they set a bar across the door, it only confirmed her suspicions. Terror clutched her heart. Why were they trapping Blaze inside? Her breathing quickened. If she rushed to pull the bar out, they would only stop her. But she had to try. She flew up, more than pissed off at the pair of them, and pushed them out of the way to let Blaze out.

The Darigan neopets growled, each grabbing her by an arm, and they towed her along toward a distance where they wouldn't be harmed by the imminent explosion. As they were about to throw the faerie to the ground, a little green kacheek appeared from around the corner of another building, panting from running. "Miss… Soup… Faerie…!"

The pair grinned sadistically as the child boldly confronted them. "Hey, look! If it isn't the brat who's house we burnt down. Have a seat and enjoy the show cause in less than twenty seconds, your big red friend will be blown up into a million pieces," Nightwing sneered.

XXX

Blaze was panicking, his eyes scanning the interior of the building for anything that could aid his escape, until his gaze fell upon the soup cauldron. Maybe with the combination of his strength and the weight of the cauldron, he could break the doors open. He would give it a shot, but he didn't have much time left, and he ran toward it.

XXX

"No! You're lying!" Zeek shouted, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. He ran up to Nightwing, letting out a furious grunt as he gave his shin a hard kick.

The Soup Faerie made several more attempts to get loose and run back, but time was ticking away and she knew she couldn't make it. Finally, the pronouncement sank in. "Oh, God." The faerie listened in to the malicious pets and went limp from horror, feeling her knees go out from under her. The two kept a hold on her arms, suspicious of her, but she simply stared at the door of the building, equal parts of her numb with shock and hoping against hope that he would come out the door any second and defy death.

Letting go of the faerie's arm, the eyrie groaned in pain, then glared daggers at the little kacheek, who scampered away as he snapped his sharp beak at him and proceeded to pursue the child. Zeek ran to the Soup Faerie, hoping that she would protect him from the advancing Darigan.

She seemed to be stuck, waiting for the explosion. It seemed her soul depended on it. But then little Zeek scurried around behind her, afraid, and she glanced down at him. She didn't comprehend at first, but then she looked up at the eyrie. Her frozen heart started beating again, thawed by the thick rage welling up in her. She pulled Zeek to her with one hand, pressing his face to her chest to keep him from seeing and twisted so she was kneeling, braced. Nightwing had released her to go after the little kacheek, but Torch still had her. Fingers curling, a deep purple - more blue and grey than her normal periwinkle - emanating from her skin. With a sudden wrench, she yanked her arm out of the draik's grasp and lifted her free hand, dangerous magic swelling and breaking out into a lash that slammed into the eyrie. Without a pause, she swung around to blast the draik as well.

There was a bright flash inside the abandoned building that could be seen from the windows semi seconds before a loud boom thundered through the air as the structure started to crumble. Dust flew up in thick clouds at the base from the masses of collapsing concrete.

The aura of enraged purple power coating vanished from the Soup Faerie's skin when she heard the explosion. All color drained from her face, and she swayed. Zeek peeked from behind her arm, then squirmed to get free. She didn't try to stop him. She slowly turned to look at the building, and gut-wrenching terror gripped her. She raced toward the collapsed building, adrenaline flowing through her. Zeek tried to follow, but she turned and said sternly, "No, stay there." He stopped obediently, but probably wouldn't stay put for long. The Soup Faerie flew up to the mess, looking for… she didn't know what. Any kind of sign that Blaze was alive.

There was nothing. The lighter debris was still settling to the ground, and patches of rubble was on fire from the explosion. She looked around frantically, wondering if he found another door, hole, something he could have gotten out through. She didn't see anything. A sob welled up and stuck in her throat, choking her, and her eyes blurred with tears. "Blaze!" she screamed, hurting her throat. _"Oh, God-' _"BLAZE!"

"Thewre they awre!" Minga's voice pierced through the air.

The Darigan pets turned to the direction of where the high-pitched voice came from, and there, were the remaining children along with a squadron of police chias. They froze, swallowing hard in unison.

"Cuff 'em, boys," said Flamo. The policemen charged at the thugs, tackling them to the ground and piling on them like football players.

The children toddled over to Zeek, engaging in brief conversation before going up to the Soup Faerie with worry engraved in their little faces.

"Miss Soup Faerie, where's Blaze?" asked Daisy with a slight whimper.

The faerie was shaking worse than the night before, and she had her arms wrapped around herself. She shook her head. She wasn't crying. Sobbing was not crying. "I don't know, babies," she said. She couldn't say that he was dead. Not to the children, and most certainly not to herself. Taking in a hard breath, she turned and enveloped the whole group of children in a hug. This time it was definitely for her rather than them.

The children hugged her back, sensing that something dreadful had happened. Zeek already knew, but after losing his owner, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that Blaze was gone too. The green kacheek turned his head back to the collapsed building, suddenly spotting something coming out of the clearing dust. "What's that?"

The kids glanced curiously into the direction Zeek was pointing. Something dark and rounded was rolling out of the veil of dust. It was the soup cauldron! It rolled and rolled until it came to a stop, and it fell over on its top. Then it was being lifted from the inside. The faces of the little ones lit up once they witnessed the familiar red lupe slink out from under the pot, sidestepping slightly from continuously rolling around inside of it.

Wallowing in her misery, not even trying to fight it down anymore now that everything was over, the Soup Faerie was oblivious to the cauldron. She barely comprehended the children's shifted attention, though she did look up when they all turned, tugging to escape her hold. Her vision was completely clear - the bone-deep shock of loss was still too much for tears - but she didn't see what was right in front of her for several minutes. By that time, the red lupe had completely emerged from the astonishingly intact soup cauldron. The realization came upon her far too slowly. At first she didn't believe it… and then she was up on her feet, if a little shaky, and picking her way slowly over the debris. Then she picked up speed, finally flapping her filmy wings and sped down to the giant cauldron and, without pausing, plummeted straight into Blaze, wrapping her entire body around him in a hug.

"Woah!" Blaze laughed blissfully, thoroughly relieved that she hadn't been torn apart by the Darigan neopets. He responded quickly, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders, holding her tight. His heart throbbed for her. He didn't bother saying anything, and he cherished the tender reuniting with her.

Finally, tears trickled down her cheeks, running into his thick fur. They were tears of relief, but she still tried to quell them, with little success. She buried her face in his chest and held on. "You're never allowed to get blown up again," she stated with complete seriousness.

"Okay, I won't." Blaze nuzzled the top of her head and applied a couple of kisses onto it before lowering his head to do the same to her cheek.

"Good," she said, trying to sound fierce, but the effect was ruined when she sniffled. He was laying soft kisses against her hair and cheek, and for once she didn't find it strange. Even when the little kids dragged over the policemen to show that Blaze had been found, she didn't give up her position, plastered against him. "Never," she reiterated. "In fact, I'm chaining you in place when we get back." She sat up suddenly and kissed him. Full on the mouth. It was a strange sensation to say the least. The police officers had been had been talking to the children, but both stopped and stared at them when the faerie laid one on her lupe companion. She ignored them.

Blaze's heart thundered fiercely, and his head spun, making him even more dizzy than he was after tumbling continuously in the large pot. His ears dropped fully, flopping to the sides of his head. The pleasantly fiery sensation that surged through his entire body was at an all time high. He eagerly kissed her back, stroking the back of her head.

Admittedly, the Soup Faerie had little experience with romantic kissing. None, in the point of fact. Still, she had never quite imagined fur being involved. Or long canine teeth. A lupe's face wasn't really made for kissing, after all. His paw came to pass over her thick hair and she pressed into him, giving up all inhibitions she had been hanging onto on account of his species. She had discovered only minutes earlier that a piece of her soul belonged to him.

Blaze held her close to him with one arm. He continued the kiss, and soon it began to deepen. The world around them melted away until it was just the two of them. His other paw, the one that had been stroking her hair, moved to her cheek, cupping it and brushing it with his thumb.

Kissing Blaze was drugging, and when he framed her face with one paw, her heart swelled. She returned the motion, lifting a hand to run through the downy fur of his cheek. But then a tiny voice from a few feet away said, "Eww, what are they doing?"

Blaze's ears perked, his eyes snapped open, and the kiss broke. His face was hot and he could still feel the tingling sweetness of the kiss lingering on his lips. He looked down at the child who had spoken up.

Head still reeling, the Soup Faerie hid her face in the crook of Blaze's neck for a moment, and then looked back up. "It's something you won't appreciate until years from now." She pushed herself off of Blaze, feeling cold all of a sudden, and stood up. She offered a hand to the lupe with a soft smile.

He nodded in agreement, and beamed when the Soup Faerie offered her hand. He gladly accepted, taking her delicate hand with his large paw and pulling himself up onto his hind feet.

A policeman approached them, brushing off from his mind what he had just saw the faerie and the lupe doing. "You should thank these children. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have gotten here when we did."

"Oh, yeah?" Blaze smiled down at the four little ones, then back at the faerie. "Looks like we got ourselves some little heroes, don't we?"

The faerie lifted a hand to cover a disbelieving smile. The police hadn't really done anything to help, but the little tykes deserved to feel like they were heroes. "It does. Good job, kids. It was very smart of you to get the police when you knew something was wrong."

The kids all nodded emphatically, beaming. After a moment's hesitation, Daisy blurted, "We should have ice cream. Heroes always eat ice cream after doing a good job."

"They sure do," Blaze grinned, still quite impressed with the children. He turned his head to the Soup Faerie. "What do you say we get these little heroes some ice cream?"

The children's eyes glittered excitedly at the thought of being rewarded with a delicious frozen treat, and awaited for the Soup Faerie's answer. The faerie wavered a moment. She really should be getting the soup cauldron back and feeding all of the pets that depended on her for food. She couldn't remember the last time she had closed up shop for so long. But then she threw her inhibitions to the winds and smiled. "Ice cream it is." There was always the Giant Omelette if pets were desperate. She wasn't so important that Neopia would stop turning if she took a few hours off.

"Yaaay!" All four little ones cheered in unison, jumping up and down in a display of joy and anticipation for ice cream.


	10. Rising Heat

Pony: Hooray for more intimacy!

Disclaimer Dude: You are seriously messed up.

Pony: Indeed I am.

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Ten: Rising Heat_

Blaze chuckled at the children's enthusiasm. "First we need to get the cauldron back to the Soup Kitchen, and miss Soup Faerie needs to get her purse."

"Okay!" Zeek jumped up, grasping Blaze's paw, urging him into the direction of the pot. "Let's go!"

The remaining of the young ones scampered over to the giant pot, trying to push the heavy thing, intending on assisting.

The pot was obviously too large for the little pets to push, but it was amusing to watch them try. The Soup Faerie went over to the cauldron and set her shoulder against it. In her long time feeding the pets, she would had to set the pot back upright after it had fallen many times. The children's "help" was actually more of a worry, because she had to be careful not to squish one of them, but she didn't even think of telling them not to help.

Blaze stepped around the kids, pressing his paws against the heavy object. With the combination of all of them pushing, moving the cauldron wasn't so difficult. "Keep pushing, guys. You're doing a great job," the lupe encouraged the children below him, keeping a careful eye on them and not to step on any of them.

It wasn't until they had gotten the massive cauldron rolling that the Soup Faerie realized she didn't know where they were going. "Uh… I hope you're leading the way, Blaze. I don't know where we are."

"Don't worry, Soupy. The kids and I do," he assured. As they rolled the cauldron along, the duo of Darigan pets were lead away, casting dark glares at them, which were ignored.

"Better luck next time, boys," a police chia said to the bumbling pair with mock encouragement.

Torch scoffed and growled, "We woulda' gotten away with it, if it weren't for those meddlin' kids."

"Look on the bright side, Torch," Nightwing began. "At least that kougra soldier of Lord Kass' won't be able to break our legs for not paying the rent."

After that, they were put away into the containment chamber located at the back of the chia squad's truck, and hauled off.

XXX

As evening fell, the group of children, lupe, and Soup Faerie exited the Petpet Shop they had stopped into. They had gone there to look at the cute petpets after leaving the ice cream parlor, after returning the cauldron to its customary place in the Soup Kitchen. It had been a wonderful, wholly relaxing day. They laughed at the jokes the little kids told, got into massive poking wars, and generally acted like five-year-olds as they walked back toward the Soup Kitchen and the homes of the young Neopians.

As they drew close to the Soup Kitchen, the kids fell back and started whispering and giggling amongst themselves. Finally unable to restrain her curiosity, the Soup Faerie stopped and said, "Secrets don't make friends," in a singsong tone.

The children snickered, and then Flamo came forward until he could pull on the Soup Faerie's pants leg. "Miss Soup Faerie, may Zeek come stay with me? Please?"

Instead of answering, she turned to Blaze. "What do you think?"

Blaze smiled at the Soup Faerie, then down at the little shoyru. "Sure. You two have fun."

The two boys beamed, hugging the legs of the red lupe, then the faerie's before racing off, laughing happily. The children all disappeared into the dark, returning to their respective homes nearby. The Soup Faerie sighed as she watched them run off. It had really been a great day. Well, except for the one bit. Her happy mood dimmed just a little. Feeling the slightest tinge of melancholy, she headed inside, dropping her purse off on the table as she flipped on a light. "I'm beginning to wonder if there is such a thing as a normal day anymore," she said, smiling ruefully.

"Probably not," Blaze replied with a shrug of his shoulders, and closing the door behind him. He approached the faerie from behind, curling his arms around her, and nuzzling her temple. "But I could get use to it."

A shiver spread over her skin, his warmth surrounding her and taking away her chill. She shook her head and pulled away a little, turning around to face him. Lifting a hand, she took hold of a fistful of the long, fluffy fur of his chest. "You almost died," she said, attempting to give him a halfhearted shake. "You may be able to get used to that, but I certainly can't."

"I'll try to avoid dangerous situations from now on, Soupy," he said, giving her another nuzzle.

She shook her head again and sighed. "No, you won't. You're a hero." Her fingers loosened their hold on his fur, and she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. She gave a soft huff of laughter, "And I suppose you're my hero, now."

The lupe's heart melted, and he held her closer. Her last words filled him with intense joy. He ran a hand over her hair and placed a kiss upon her head.

The faerie's ribs expanded on a sigh, and she rubbed her nose against his soft fur, a slow smile appearing. He was soft and strong, in more ways than one. Letting go of him, she found his hand and headed toward her room. "Come on. It isn't as comfortable snuggling standing up."

Blaze's stomach was hit with a wave of excitement, and he willingly went with the Soup Faerie to her bedroom, his tail wagging. She left him to go change, scooping up her nightgown as she headed into the bathroom. A few minutes later she was out again, finishing brushing her hair. The brush was set on her dresser, and she crawled up on the bed, fighting the happy butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

He couldn't help but grin goofily. The love-struck lupe was about to experience a cuddling session with the Soup Faerie. He didn't bother with his own comforter. He met her with a kiss to her forehead, then pulled away slightly to gaze into her beautiful brown eyes.

She laughed at him, enjoying the absolutely stupid-happy expression on his face. Pulling up her comforter, she wrapped it over her shoulders like she had done the night before, and lunged up, threw her arms around the big lupe, and pulled him down to the mattress, commencing with burrowing into him and getting comfortable.

Blaze furled his arms around her, holding her tightly and again, kissing her head. He moved his lips to her cheek, kissing it several times. He was already in a daze and getting lost in the moment, his heart fluttering wildly.

The Soup Faerie was petite compared to her tall and elegant sisters. However, since she was rarely around them, and usually around the small Neopians who came to her kitchen, she had never really appreciated her stature. She had noticed it for a few seconds when supporting Blaze to the Healing Springs, but now she used it to her advantage, curling into Blaze until she was entirely tucked against his torso, feet drawn up. One hand tucked under her chin, and the other stroked his fur along his ribs. He was filling in a little already, the hearty soup and exercise doing him good.

Blaze shivered pleasurably. He traced a line of kisses from her cheek, down her jaw, and to her chin. He ran his tongue over her chin briefly and pressed his furry lips to hers, kissing her tenderly.

She felt him shiver and nuzzled into him, growing bolder and sweeping her hand from his ribs to his hip, rhythmic and gentle. His tongue flicked over her jaw, and she moved up to give him a better angle. His mind was obviously on more than cuddling. She chuckled softly and moved her hand around to his back, tracing his spine.

The lupe's entire body tingled with pleasure. One of his paws moved to her hip, rubbing it as he did so the previous night. Removing his mouth from hers, he gave her nose a quick lick, then kissed her between the eyes.

Her nose scrunched playfully and she tossed her head, tucking under his chin and nuzzling into the thick warm fur of his throat. Her hand passed lower down his back, bumping into the base of his tail. She followed the thick fluff of his tail down to the downy tip, and then went back to his side to hold him closer.

His face heated up as the faerie's hand ran over the base of his tail. He moved his muzzle lower until it reached her neck, then he applied continuous kisses to her sensitive skin.

The faerie could feel his entire body tense for a second as she swept over his tail, heard his breathing pick up, and she took note of it as a favored spot. He tucked his muzzle under her chin again and kissed the tender skin there, and she felt her own breathing quicken. She immediately lifted her chin, making a small noise of contentment. Her hand slipped up to the back of his head, running her fingertips along the delicate patch behind the jaw and below his ear.

Blaze felt his body turn to jelly as her fingers touched the soft section of fur below his ear, and his leg twitched slightly. He moved his muzzle to the side of her neck, kissing the spot repeatedly.

The faerie laughed again, softly, feeling him go limp with pleasure at her touch. His leg moved, and she took the opportunity to press in closer, winding her foot around his hind paw. Her fingers massaged and explored, traveling up his long ear. Her hand paused as his breath tickled the same sensitive place below her ear, and she held onto his shoulder as the velvet of his muzzle teased her.

His breathing sped up to a light pant as she continued touching his delicate ear. He noticed she entwined her leg with his. He lifted his tail and brushed it against her free leg, moving it up and down. He started adding his tongue to the kisses he applied to her neck, lapping at her skin as his lips worked.

A shudder shook her as his attentions became more sensual. The warm lap of his tongue was addicting, as was the delicated, hypnotic sweep of his tail over her oversensitized skin. Her hand trailed down his back to his tail again, and she followed it down to the thickest part, pulling on it gently to keep the soft sensation against her. "Ohh," she moaned softly, basking in the feelings she had never experienced before.

Hearing the soft moan, Blaze continued to sweep his tail over her leg. He applied more pressure with his tongue and lips, still busy with her neck. The paw on her hips also applied more pressure, intending on pleasing her as much as he could.

Breathing hard enough that she had to open her mouth, she arched, feeling needy and craving more of it. She let go of his tail and half sat up suddenly, pushing him back as she used both hands to explore his broad chest, sinking into his fur, tracing shapes down to his belly. As she did so, she returned his tiny kisses, gently leaving them on the tip of his nose, back along the top of his muzzle.

Blaze felt his body heating up. Slipping his tongue back into his mouth, he brought his canines gently onto her skin, nibbling it. His free paw went up to one of her large, pointed ears. He rubbed her lobe between his thumb and fingers in a circular motion.

The Soup Faerie braced her palms on his chest to keep herself from melting into a puddle. The gentle edge of his teeth along her jaw made her stomach clench, and the added touch on her highly sensitive ears had her breathing raggedly, drunk on sensation. Leaning down over him, she slipped her arms behind his neck and closed her teeth on the edge of one of his ears and nibbled cautiously.

He moaned softly as the faerie nibbled on his soft ear. The sensation it gave him was incredible. He nibbled on her skin a little harder, wondering if that would give her more pleasure.

Reassured that she was doing it right, the faerie pushed her lupe completely onto his back and crawled up on his chest, using the edge of her teeth on one ear confidently while tickling the other with one hand. When he bit down harder, she gasped and arched, wings flapping reflexively and pressing into the lovebite.

His other ear twitched as the Soup Faerie tickled it. After receiving her reaction, he continued with the newly applied hardness with his teeth. His tail swept up her leg again, the soft tip unintentionally slipping under her nightgown. The lupe tensed up, hoping he wouldn't get a negative reaction from it, even though he didn't do it on purpose.

The inexperienced faerie was way too far gone to object. The cool, soft brush of fur against the backs of her thighs made her tense and shiver. Heart thumping, she drew away from him, eyes unfocused, and she bit her lip, suddenly giving him a daring smile. She grabbed fistfuls of the lacy edge of her gown and pulled it up, bunching the fabric so she could strip it forward over her head. From there, however, she was hit with shyness, and she held the gown to her chest, hiding from him, waiting for his reaction.

Blaze was worried once she pulled away from him. But he was relieved and puzzled at the suggestive smile she gave him, unsure what to think of it. Then she pulled off her nightgown and his eyes widened, first in shock. The shock in his eyes quickly shifted to excitement as he stared at her, looking her over, his chest heaving rapidly and practically drooling.

She was immensely relieved when he didn't seem at all put off by her forward actions. She shouldn't have been surprised, but she was innocent like that. Tentatively, she let the nightgown drop completely, leaving her in nothing but a pair of polka-dotted panties. Petite as she was, she had a slim figure, with a smallish set of assets. She blushed deep red, but didn't let it stop her from leaning toward him and giving him another little kiss on his nose.

His body heat skyrocketed, again wrapping his arms around her. He returned the sweet little kisses with ones of his own. Keeping one arm still wrapped around her waist, he brought a paw to her cheek, stroking it while smiling at her lovingly. He slowly leaned in, bringing his nose to her ear. His tongue snaked out and he ran it over the length of her ear.

She nearly stopped breathing when he pulled her close and she became flush against him, every inch of her body brushed by downy fur. She arched against him, breathing hard. "Oh, God… your fur is everywhere…" His tongue traced her ear and she moved against him, clinging, a mewl of need escaping her.

He let out another moan into her ear, his breath hot. He responded to her movements, moving his body with hers, absolutely loving the feeling of her soft skin against his fur. His tongue curled around her lobe and weaved through the crevices in it before giving it a sharp nip.

She yelped softly and swallowed, pliant with bliss as she panted beside his ear. One of her hands lifted to run over the sensitive spot behind his ear and scratch lightly, the other searching for his hand. Taking his paw, she led it to her stomach, pressing him there with a quiet plea, "Touch me?"

He nodded, feeling the skin on her abdomen. He ran his furry paw slowly up until it was just below one of her breasts. He paused, waiting for her approval to touch such a personal part of her body.

She felt his paw move and practically purred, humming an "mmhmm" when he paused.

Blaze resumed, his paw coasting over her breast, feeling the plush softness of it. He took his time, his hand going over every inch of it. He twirled his tongue around the point of her ear a few times before taking it into his mouth, and suckling on it.

The lupe's paw swept over her skin, leaving a trail of fire in it's wake. She arched into the touch, enjoying the eroticism and the intimacy she had never experienced by sharing her body. She ran her fingers through his fur continually, wandering and exploring. The warm suction on her ear had her humming in appreciation, and she nuzzled his cheek.

His thumb ran over the pointed nub in the center of her breast. Curious, he rubbed it between this thumb and index finger. The lupe shuddered as the faerie's own fingers explored him, and he sucked harder on her ear.

Her breath hitched and her stomach muscles tensed, making her curl inward in a small movement of pleasure as the lupe's exploring led to her nipple. His curiosity about her body was endearing, and was probably going to kill her. Her wandering hands smoothed through the fur of his belly and hips and down the outsides of his thighs.

He panted, blowing through his nostrils in ragged breaths as he still suckled on her ear. He took his fingers away from her nipple, then placed his entire hand on the area, massaging it. His other paw swept up her back, close to her wings.

The petite faerie tilted her head to give him still better access to her delicate long ear, and felt herself quiver as one paw enveloped her breast, spreading the intoxicating sensation while the other passed over the sensitive skin over her lower back, inching closer to her wings. They flicked, stirring a light breath of air over her hot skin.

Blaze's fingers inched closer to the Soup Faerie's wings, then he touched a finger to one. He rubbed the cavern of her ear between suckles and slight nibbles once she had given him better access. His body was hot, especially the spot between his legs.

The anticipation of his caressing fingers over her wings shuddered through her, her body remembering the sensation from the previous morning. The dip into the dark hollow of her ear had her gasping shallowly for breath. Her hands continued their exploration, brushing the backs of his thighs, one hand sweeping up his right hindquarter while the other traveled up the inside of the same thigh.

The red lupe returned the gesture, sweeping his tail up the inside of her thigh. His fingers brushed against the sensitive membrane of her wing, slowly climbing higher until he reached the edge of it, then went back down. His other hand applied more pressure onto her breast as he massaged it nonstop.

Pulling her ear away from his mouth, she kissed him, softly at first. Nerve endings tripping in her wing, and she kissed him harder, pushing herself into his palm in the same motion. In reward, her palm slipped between his legs, light and hesitant as she continued to explore.


	11. Bursting Into Bloom

Pony: Here be the rest of the love-making!

Disclaimer Dude: … R-right… Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Eleven: Bursting Into Bloom_

Blaze felt a jolt surge through his body as the Soup Faerie's hand slid between his legs. His sheath that was normally hidden in his long fur was stretched out and bulging from the thickness of his swollen and aroused member. He kissed her passionately, his fingers trailing the nerves in her wing. He gave her breast a gentle squeeze and resumed massaging it with even more pressure.

The faerie trailed her hand up, slowly learning the feel of him. She was highly embarrassed of the intimacy and her own ignorance, but far too aroused to pull her hand back. Distracting herself with kissing him deeply, tongue touching his and the tips of his sharp teeth.

He had parted his mouth enough for his tongue to slide out and meet hers. He moaned softly as his own tongue ran over the warm, slick surface of hers. He removed his hand from her breast, exploring lower while his other hand continued gliding his fingers over her wing.

Her shoulders lifted, her body curling into him, as she wrapped one arm around his neck while the other hand continued to play, her fingers a little more confident, her touch a little more firm. Feeling in control again, she playfully caught his tongue gently between her teeth and smirked down at him. Her expression quickly changed to surprised arousal when his hand drifted down to her stomach. Her stomach muscles contracted, the pit of her belly warm.

The lupe gazed into her eyes lovingly, touching his cold nose to hers in response to her playful antic. His hand traveled lower until it reached the lacy hem of her panties. Cautiously, he slipped a finger into them.

The Soup Faerie's large eyes were half closed and glazed, and they slipped entirely shut, cheeks flushed, lips parted as she barely breathed, feeling his soft fingers smooth down her stomach to the edge of her panties. Her breath caught as his finger slipped beneath the fabric, and she went still so as not to distract him.

Blaze attempted to push her panties down until he realized he needed both hands. Taking his other paw from her wing, he brought it to the other side of her undergarments, pulling them down as far as his arms could stretch out. His paws slid up her thighs and sat upon her firm buttocks. He could no longer hold his throbbing member in his sheath. He relaxed and let it slide out, red and thick and naturally much larger than a normal lupe's, with a bulbous knot at its base.

Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she couldn't help but watch as his hands slid her panties down her thighs, his paws running back up to her bottom made her shiver. Her eyes widened, seeing him slip from his sheath, and she flushed scarlet. Having never seen anything of the kind, she found herself transfixed and a little intimidated. Trying to overcome her naïve fear, she trailed a hand down to touch him, her finger tracing the tip and down, and back up.

His entire body shuddered at the sheer pleasure of her touch. He moaned louder and moved his hips slightly. "Ohhh… Soupy…"

A smile tipped her lips, and she pressed her palm to him, gently grasping him around the base. She pulled her hand up, grip firm, wondering at the strange texture when she had grown so accustomed to his fur. At the tip, she toyed with him, teasing, having very little idea of how much of an impact she was likely having with her inexperienced touch.

He let out strings of moans louder than the previous ones. The red canid panted heavily, his tongue rolling out of his maw, and his hips rocking in rhythm with her hand movements.

His hips moved him into her palm, and his deep moans encouraged her. Her grip tightened further, and she leaned forward, breasts flattening against him, to bite him, just a bit rough, on his ear. "I'm doing this right?" she asked, her hand tugging up his member to illustrate her point. "Is there anything else I should do?" her voice was intentionally sultry, though the husky tone was also from her heightened arousal.

"Y-yes!" he panted, letting out another moan. One of his paws moved from her buttock and slid between her legs. He prodded her swollen and sensitive folds with a finger, searching for her entrance. He thought he had found it until his finger touched the bud of her clitoris. Puzzled, his finger explored the nub.

It was the faerie's turn to moan as the lupe's paw slipped between her legs. She was hot and wet, and his searching fingers set her breathing raggedly, parting her legs to let him maneuver. His questing touch hit her clit, and she gasped and bowed against him, a muffled sound of bliss escaping her. Her hand dropped from his shaft and followed his between her legs, holding his hand where her entrance was as she tilted her hips into him.

Blaze inserted his finger into the hot, wet well where she had guided it. He pushed it in slowly and carefully, not knowing what to expect. His member throbbed eagerly. He wanted desperately to be inside of her, but he would wait until she wanted it.

The Soup Faerie bit her lip as his finger slid in slowly, alien and new, but incredibly erotic. Her hips rocked of their own accord, pressing into the new invasion. She panted and let go, trying to get some control of herself. If this was what he felt when she touched him, no wonder he had liked it. Remembering that she was neglecting him, she reached down to cup him.

He slid his finger in deeper and deeper, moving it around and examining the walls, and pressed his member against her hand as she touched him again.

Her inner muscles clenched hotly, responding to his touch with a wash of hot fluid. The throbbing heat drove her, and when he pushed into her hand, she wrapped her other arm around his hips and pulled as she rolled onto her back. She wanted him above her, the weight and size of him making her feel small and delicate.

He rolled with her as she pulled back, positioning himself on top of her, and gazed down at her, his golden eyes gleaming with desire. He pushed his finger in all the way and slowly slid it back out. His hips continued to push against her hand, and he whined softly with want.

His finger pressing deep made her whimper, desire outweighing the weirdness of having a part of him deep inside of her. Her teeth bit deeper into her lip, nearly drawing blood, as his finger pulled out of her slick passage. One of her knees bent, pressed against his hip, as she ran her clasped fingers down his cock before letting go and slipping her hands around to cup his buttocks in her hands and pull his hips toward her.

The lupe got the message, planting a soft kiss to her nose, guided the head of his penis to her moist entrance. The feeling of the tip touching her vaginal lips made him shiver with pleasure. It slid between her folds, venturing slowly into her just as he did with his finger.

Her head went back, her back arching to give him a better angle, and she whimpered again, softly. This was much larger than his finger, but he slipped in slowly and easily thanks to the slickness spread by his earlier play. Bringing her other knee up, she braced herself, cradling him between her thighs as she kept a tight hold on his hindquarters.

He moaned loudly, diving in deeper into her moist well, his body shivering from the intense pleasure. He placed his mouth upon hers, kissing her passionately in hopes of distracting her from any pain she may have been experiencing.

The thrust of his member was so slow and deliberate and delicious, she didn't notice the discomfort at first. It built until she was lying still, fighting the urge to tell him to stop. It was too good to stop, so she kissed him somewhat desperately, and pushed against his hips as she thrust hers up, hoping to get the discomfort over so she could enjoy herself.

He let his tongue snake out, running it over her bottom lip. The head of his member was stopped once it bumped into her barrier of maidenhood, and unsure of what it was. Pets didn't have hymens.

The discomfort had reached the point where it was distracting her, calming her arousal, and she parted from the kiss, frowning in concentration. She shifted her hips, and moaned as the sensation heated her blood. Twining her arms around his neck, she leaned up, pressing herself to him, and said, "Take me hard, right now," trying to sound confident.

Blaze was still unsure of how to approach this. Maybe hitting the wall hard was what he was suppose to do. So, he pulled back, and rammed into her, breaking through her hymen, which alarmed him to the point of panic, terrified that he had hurt her. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice overflowing with fear and concern, nuzzling her cheek in a comforting manner.

The faerie grunted with pain and bit her lip hard enough to bleed, tears spearing into the corners of her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut, a tear leaked out before she could shake her head. "I'm fine." But she clung tightly for a moment, holding very still.

He licked the tear from her cheek, pulling back slightly and pumping slowly and gently. Again, his muzzle went to her ear, lapping at it.

She tensed automatically when he pulled back, still a little sore, but the pain ebbed quickly, and soon the slight soreness was only a part of the pleasure. Knocked off track by the surprise, it took her longer to readjust to him, and reach the same level of desire. Taking it slow, she forced herself to relax and feel him sliding in and out, her slick, sensitive entrance giving way for him, the rasp of his tongue on her ear. Her head fell back on a moan, and she lifted her hips to him, enjoying the deeper penetration.

He moaned into her ear as he licked it, and he ventured deeper. The pleasure was intense and it had him wanting more and more. Small squirts of pre fired from the tip of his member as he pushed deeper into her tight tunnel.

The feel of his breath against her ear and the moan vibrating against the delicate shell sent a shiver through her. He pushed deeper, her channel stretching to accommodate him. A small faerie to begin with, he dwarfed her, and she was nearly too small for him - a normal pet wouldn't have had a chance. She pulled her feet up, tucking her ankles against his hips as she tried to give him more room. The short, hot jet inside startled her, and she moaned and tightened around him, bucking into his hips.

He moaned louder, responding to her bucking hips with faster thrusting. His licking became more vigorous, and he added a few sharp nips between rasps.

The faster thrusting made her arch, her palms pressing him into her as her lower lips widened to slip over his large cock each time he thrust forward. The licking drove her crazy, the first nip made her jerk and gasp, more fluid rushing to her sheath to make Blaze's thrusts easier. One of her hands slipped under his tail to stroke his inner thigh while her other hand delved between them until she could stroke his knot as he thrust.

Blaze drove his cock into her until there was only the knot remaining. He wouldn't put that into her until later. He gasped with delighted surprise as her hand stroked the sensitive patch of fur on his inner thigh, and shivered even more as her other hand caressed his knot.

The full length of him was so tight she didn't dare to move, but she couldn't help the involuntary swivel of her hips. Her head came forward, and she peered down between them, curious, and felt a wave of embarrassed lust at the sight of him buried completely in her, her lips stretched around him. She tipped her hips back, pulling away from him and exposing some of his shaft. The fingers stroking his knot ventured up to first touch, then circle him. She couldn't get her fingers entirely around. When he pulled out again, she slipped the ring of her fingers down his shaft. He was drenched with her fluids, so it was a smooth glide, and she held on when he wedged back in.

The red lupe's mouth was wide open, his tongue hanging out, panting. He felt his member throb, and the inexperience meant it would end soon. He accelerated, moaning his pleasure to her, and nuzzled her head passionately.

The Soup Faerie clung to him, releasing him so she could take all of him in as deep as he would go. He went faster, and the push and pull had her panting just as hard, her fingers buried in his fur, holding on tightly. Her sheath contracted almost to the point of pain, and she moaned loudly, ending with a cry as she felt herself spasm with climax.

Blaze felt himself nearing. He pushed his beefy knot into her and waited as the organ inflated inside of her. A hot stream of his seed shot out from the head of his engorged member with force. He moaned just as loudly as the Soup Faerie as he too shuddered violently in climax.

Just as she was coming down from climax, he pushed even harder and deeper, and something else - his knot, she realized, shocked - pushed inside as well, stretching her even farther, and her moan took on a new intensity as she strained. He got even larger inside her, and she stared up at him in surprise until he orgasmed, and the hot seed flooded her hard, making her arch, her lower back coming off the bed in a second, harder, wilder climax.

Blaze was breathing hard from the exertion. He gazed down at the faerie with adoration, and brought a paw to her cheek, stroking it. His member was still inside of her, he would have to wait until the knot deflated for him to pull out.

The faerie clung to Blaze in the aftermath of her second orgasm, her body shaking from the unaccustomed experience. Breathing hard, she felt his gentle paw on her cheek and she turned her face into it, lifting her forehead to press against his solid shoulder. Slowly, the rush faded to a tingling, stated numbness that spread through her body, making her feel drowsy and utterly happy. She kissed his shoulder and nuzzled him.

The lupe caught his breath, his body limp with exhaustion and still tingling from the passionate session. He moved his head lower to place a kiss on the faerie's cheek. "I… said it before and I'll gladly say it again… I love you…"

A thrill went through her at the words, though she still had her doubts… she couldn't shake the feeling that things were too good to be true. Her fingers played with his fur absently. "I think… I'm starting to love you," she said softly, trying to be completely honest.

His tail thumped on the bed as it wagged in bliss, and energy that came out of nowhere rose within his tired body. The corners of his mouth stretched back into a grin that appeared to wide for his face, and he nuzzled her passionately.

Laughing softly, the little Soup Faerie pushed at him. "You're heavy, move over so I can cuddle without smothering."

Blaze chuckled and shifted over, pulling the faerie with him, thinking that an attempt at pulling at his member with his knot still inside of her would hurt her.

Even as he moved, she shifted to keep close to him, tucked into his warmth. She sighed contentedly. "I don't know if we should have done that, but I don't regret it…"

He resumed nuzzling her, furling one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist, holding her close. "I don't regret it either…"


	12. Morning Risers

Pony: Here is chapter twelve!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Twelve: Morning Risers_

Blaze awoke as the morning sunlight poured in through the window. He opened his eyes slowly and let out a big yawn. Gazing down at the faerie curled up against him and sleeping peacefully in his arms, his heart went aflutter, and he nuzzled her softly.

Warm and cozy and feeling so peaceful, the Soup Faerie clung to sleep despite the rising sun. When she felt the soft brush of fur on her cheek, instead of opening her eyes, she pulled the blanket up over her face and made an inarticulate noise.

The red canid chuckled softly, burrowing his head under the faerie's comforter. Now having gotten pass the barrier of soft fabric, he gave her ear a soft kiss that was followed by a lap with the tip of his tongue.

The blankets moved and were shifted away from her face, and she balled in on herself in an attempt to stay asleep, but by now she was nearly awake. Fur and tongue brushed her ear, and she reacted by pushing at the thing intruding on her sleep, rolling away at the same time… unfortunately, she was not in the middle of the bed, where she was used to being, but on the edge, and she rolled right off in a whoosh of blankets.

Blaze made a grab for the blankets as she turned over, but was not quick enough. He shuffled over and peered over the edge, down at the Soup Faerie. "Soupy? Are you all right?" He jumped off the bed and stood on all fours at her side, worried if she had hurt herself when she had fallen onto the hard wooden floor.

She lay on the floor for a few seconds in silence. Her brain was still up on the bed, asleep. She was entirely cocooned in the comforter, and didn't really care to move, though she was finally coming to the land of the living. "Mhmm…" she replied, drowsy. She decided that the floor was still comfortable enough to sleep on, as long as the blanket was under her.

The lupe relaxed, the muscles that had tightened up from the bout of worry. He looked out the window, the sun was shining quite brightly now. He then glanced back down at the faerie wrapped up in layers of comforter, knowing that he needed to get her up. Lowering his head, he gave her a nudge. "It's time to get up."

She made a noise in the negative and hunched further into the blanket. She felt wonderful, if a little sore in places… and a little embarrassed, because of the soreness. She wasn't quite ready to face the world yet. So, still wrapped in the blanket, she reared up and threw herself on top of Blaze, dragging him down to the floor with her.

He let out a surprised yelp as the Soup Faerie made an unexpected lunge at him. Now on the floor, he looked up at her, still a little startled from what she had just done.

Still obviously drowsy, the Soup Faerie settled on top of him, curled so that she fit comfortably. Sighing, she laid her head down on him and rubbed her cheek against his fur. "Heater…" she murmured, happy to be off the cold floor. "Stay there."

Blaze smirked, now recovered from the earlier startle. "Okay, but for a few more minutes. We're gonna have to get ready to make soup soon." The lupe wrapped his arms around the faerie as she cuddled up against his furry body.

It was less than a minute before the faerie was asleep again, completely content to let the world spend another day feeding itself without her.

Blaze smiled at the faerie asleep on him, he gave in to her and closed his eyes. They snapped open again as the sound of knocking on the front door filled his ears. What got him even more anxious were the familiar voices of the children. "Soupy, the kids are at the door," he said in a voice that sounded a little alarmed, thinking of the possibility that the little ones might wander in themselves. However, he had not been living at the Soup Kitchen long enough to know that they never have done it.

There was a twitch from the faerie, just enough movement to show that she had heard, and then she stretched, and yawned. "Mph. Fiiiine…" She rolled off of him and sat up, sorting out the covers until she could stand up without tripping. "Goin' to take a shower, distract them," she mumbled, heading for the bathroom.

"All right," he replied, trotting out of the bedroom on all fours, and into the main room. He stood up on his hind legs once he was at the front door and he opened it, meeting the happy faces of all four of the children. "Hey, guys," he smiled brightly, glad to see them.

There was a stampede of squealing, overexcited young pets as soon as Blaze opened the door. The sugar from the night before might not have worn off yet. Daisy was the first to voice an "I'm hungry, c'n we have pancakes?" above the hubbub of youngsters.

Blaze let out an amused laugh as he was surrounded by the hyperactive little kids. "Sure! Anyone wanna help make them?"

Two of the kids bounced up with paws held high, eager to help. The other two shook their heads and declared that they were going to "defend the cauldron from beasties", arming themselves with bowls for shields and spoons before rushing out the door to play.

The lupe laughed again. "All right! Let's gather up the ingredients. One of you can put them in, and the other can stir them together," he suggested, taking Daisy and Minga into the kitchen before gathering up the utensils he needed.

Outside, there were periodic sounds of spoons clacking together in play-fights, shouts of "Take that!" and occasional exclamations of pain, though nothing bad enough to cause crying. Inside, the baking commenced with the faint film of spilled flour floating in the air.

"Careful there, little lady," Blaze smiled at the bruce who was now white with flour. He looked down at the floor that had been accidentally deposited onto the floor. It wasn't too much to clean up, Minga was more messy than the floor.

The sound of giggling from the kitchen floated into the bedroom as the Soup Faerie came out of her shower. Putting on her usual clothes and pulling her wet hair back in her bandana, she went out into the main room in time to see the little bruce setting out dishes on the table.

"Thanks, Minga," Blaze thanked the little bruce as she set the table. He turned his attention to Daisy as she finished stirring the pancake batter. "And thank you, Daisy." He touched his cold nose to the cybunny's cheek, nuzzling her playfully.

The door, already half open was pushed farther back as the swashbuckling duo tumbled in, raced around the table, nearly ran into the Soup Faerie, then detoured toward the door again. The faerie smiled and grabbed some glasses and began filling them with milk. "Good morning," she said, giving a passing pat to both kitchen helpers and Blaze.

"Mowrning, miss Sewp Faewie," Minga giggled, now having the flour wiped off of her with a wet towel wielded by Blaze.

"Morning, miss Soup Faerie," Daisy beamed, giving the faerie's legs a hug.

"Good morning, Soupy," the lupe smiled affectionately at the faerie as he continued cleaning up Minga.

The faerie went to the stove and flipped a pancake that was already on the pan, taking another off the heat and onto a plate, and pouring a new one from the bowl of batter. She was obviously an old pro at pancakes, though she hadn't made them in ages. "What's on the agenda for today, guys?"

"Can yew and Bwaze pway with us tewday, pwease?" Minga asked in a squeaky, pleading tone that made Blaze's smile widen, obviously charmed by the sound of it.

"Please?" Daisy added on, clinging onto the Soup Faerie's legs, gazing up at her with her big, innocent eyes.

The Soup Faerie smiled down at the clinging child and tried not to be charmed. It was particularly hard when she was still in the morning-after glow. But in the last couple days, she had been terribly delinquent in her duties as soup faerie. Pets needed her to be there. "Maaaybe," she drawled, flipping pancakes. "How about we take turns playing and making soup today, guys?"

"Okay!" the girls chirped cheerfully. Minga waddled over to the Soup Faerie, joining her cybunny friend in hugging her legs.

"Can we help make soup too?" Daisy asked, still holding onto her innocent face.

"You may help, I think," she replied, a little hesitant. They might be well-meaning, but a whole lot of pets came to be fed, and the Soup Faerie didn't want them to be hurt if they got underfoot. Not to mention, the hungry pets might get impatient and mean if the kids weren't fast enough. "You and Blaze could practice making some after breakfast, if you'd like."

"Yaaay!" Daisy and Minga cheered, finally freeing the faerie's pant legs from their grips, bouncing with excitement. They then dashed over to the red lupe, pouncing on him and managing to knock him to the floor, giggling.

Blaze was surprised that the two little girls were able to gather enough momentum to topple him over. After releasing the second surprised yelp of the morning, he laughed with them.

Giggling, the Soup Faerie watched him collapse under the kids, thinking that fierce as he could be, he would never stand a chance against anyone he loved. The thought had her flushing all over again, and she turned back to the pancakes, wrapping the hand not holding the spatula around her stomach and the fluttering butterflies in it.

The other two little ones raced in, pausing in the heat of their game when they caught sight of Blaze with his back on the floor and Daisy and Minga on top of him. Zeek stared at them, memories of he and his owner at play flooding his head, and would've given in to tears if he had not been overcome with the urge to join in. He and Flamo dropped their bowls and spoons, sprinted over, and jumped on the lupe.

"Oof!" The red candid felt the wind rush out of his lungs as the boys landed on top of his chest and abdomen. Taking in a fresh breath of air, he smiled at the newcomers as they proceeded to crawl all over him. "You two have fun?"

"No!" Flamo said sternly waving one paw adamantly, and nearly losing his balance in the process. "We had to protect the Soup Faerie! That's serious stuff."

Zeek picked up on the ruse quickly and chimed in with, "Yeah, we fought off pirates. They had eye patches and peg legs and wanted to steal wenches." He squinted one eye to demonstrate eye patch, and made swashbuckling swishes with his hand like he had a cutlass. He turned to Flamo, "Right?"

The other kid nodded solemnly. "Yep. They were dirty, rotten pirates to the last."

"Wow." Blaze's smile grew, going along with their little story. "You two sure did a great job. I see no pirates around here." He lifted a paw to give each boy a rewarding pat on the head.

The girls who had listened in to their tall tale covered their mouths, suppressing their giggles. Both boys nodded and bore the head pats with dignity, chests thrown out in pride. Zeek ruined it, however, by leaning forward and whispering to Flamo, "What's wenches?"

Flamo replied calmly, "Mom says they're something you sit on, like, in front of a piano."

Zeek nodded wisely, then asked, "Why would a pirate want that?"

Flamo just shrugged. "Beats me. They're pirates."

Blaze silently listened in… until Daisy put one of her furry fingers inside one of his sensitive ears, tickling it. His ear twitched rapidly at the sensation and he instinctively shook his head, then grinned in amusement at the little cybunny who tried to look completely innocent. "Hey, that tickles."

"Yew'wre tickwlewish, Bwaze?" A devious grin spread across Minga's beak before bending over to position her flippers at his ribs, tickling them.

The other three pets instantly followed suit, diving at different ticklish spots; one each to a foot paw and the last helping with tickling his ribs, all of them giggling madly. While this happened, the Soup Faerie began piling pancakes on plates to put on the table.

The lupe was laughing too hard to notice breakfast was almost ready. His eyes were clenched shut and his body wriggling from having his sensitive spots attacked by delicate little paws and flippers. "Come on, guys! Pick on someone your own size!" he whined in feigned terror, his voice at a higher pitch than normal.

The kids ignored him, having too much fun successfully picking on someone eight times their size, and they were merciless. It wasn't until the Soup Faerie set down a jug of milk with a loud thud and pronounced "Breakfast!" that the giggling horde abated and left Blaze alone, flocking toward the table.

Blaze sat up after the quartet of children hopped off of him, his torso inflating and deflating as he was catching his breath. He then pushed himself up and rose to his feet after his breathing returned to somewhat normal, and went over to join them, assisting any of the children who were having a difficult time pulling themselves up into their chair. He sat himself down and flashed a grateful smile at the Soup Faerie, for finishing breakfast and getting the children to cease their relentless tickling. "Thanks for finishing breakfast, Soupy."

She set plates in front of each of the children, along with a cup of milk and the syrup, before sitting down and serving herself. She pushed a plate of pancakes over to Blaze as he joined them, waving away the thanks. "You get first shift of playtime," she said, smiling.

He offered another smile, his heart yet again, melting away at hers, and began cutting away at his pancakes. "The girls and I added a couple of extra ingredients to the pancakes. I'm not sure if it's an improvement, but something was telling me to do it when I smelled the vanilla extract and cinnamon sugar."

Unused to experimenting with anything but soup, the faerie didn't quite know what to expect with the additions, but when she cut a piece and took a bite, it tasted good to her. "Hm, I like it." She reached for the syrup to add some more. "I'll have you trained as my personal chef yet."

His ears rotated bashfully, taking a bite himself. "I'm… glad you like it."

The children happily ate away at their pancakes, letting out "Mmmm"'s of approval. Before long, their faces were covered in syrup, as were their forks, soon causing their paws to become sticky as well. As soon as the faerie was done with her pancakes, she went around scooping up finished plates and forks to rinse. Of course, pets began lining up at the door soon after. She went to stir the fresh contents in the pot, brushing a hand over Blaze's shoulder as she went by. "Have fun."

"Oh, we will." Blaze got up, following her into the kitchen momentarily to retrieve a few towels to wet and clean up the kids' faces.

The morning customers were lining up outside the Soup Faerie's cottage, and the murmuring of drowsy pets could be heard. The faerie finished clearing the table and went to open the door, admitting the first with a smile and a bowl of warm soup.

Blaze retrieved a few wet towels and proceeded to clean off Zeek's face and paws first. Once it was Flamo's turn, he whirled around and ran with a mischievous grin. "Hey, come back here," the red lupe smirked, pursuing the little shoyru.


	13. Play and Prejudice

Pony: I giveth thou the chapter called thirteen!

Disclaimer Dude: That didn't make any sense!

Pony: Indeed, Disclaimer Dude… indeed.

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Thirteen: Play and Prejudice_

The shoyru zipped between the Soup Faerie and a grarrl wrapped in a large scarf who was first in line. The green Neopian snarled and whipped the tip of his tail after the child grumpily, which made the kid stumble. He flapped his wings to keep from falling and raced onward with a giggle.

Blaze cast a stern scold warningly at the grarrl, angered that the reptilian actually whipped his powerful tail at the fragile child. "Hey, what was that? You could've hurt the little guy."

The large reptilian pet glowered moodily at Blaze and held his bowl of steaming soup close as he took a sniff, purposely ignoring the lupe. He gave a curt nod to the faerie and went to a bench to eat. The red kacheek behind him shook her head, frowning at the ill-tempered grarrl's back as she stepped up into his place "Don't mind Larry," she said, voice soft. "He's sore because he couldn't complete his faerie quest."

"Oh, I see." Blaze gave the red kacheek a nod, then his attention shifted back to Flamo as he dropped onto his belly and crawled under one of the benches. "Excuse me." The lupe passed the line to pursue the little child.

Flamo was, by this time, all the way across the room, having crawled up on a chair, and then the table, run across it -- thankfully there weren't many neopets eating at that table yet -- and leapt to the countertop, flapping his small wings and making it just barely. He looked back in time to see Blaze drop to try to go under the table, and snickered before scrambling behind a bunch of oversized jars next to the sink.

The lupe squeezed back out from under the table and searched the area for any sign of the elusive child. Eventually, he spotted the tip of his tail sticking out from behind the row of jars. He smirked to himself and wandered over to the countertops, pretending to be completely unaware of the kid. "Okay… where did the little guy go…?"

Zeek, who had been watching the whole thing, slapped both hands over his mouth to smother a giggle. Daisy looked over and whispered, asking what was going on. The kacheek pointed to the jars - they were located on the other side of the kitchen and could see Flamo crouched behind the jars with his hands over his head. Daisy burst out laughing uproariously and fell back on the floor. Minga held her flippers over her beak in order to prevent the fit of incoming giggles. She soon gave in, joining the cybunny on the floor, laughing hysterically.

Blaze wandered closer and closer to the group of jars that were keeping the blue shoyru mostly hidden. Then, he swiftly snatched Flamo's tail, plucking him from behind the jars, and holding him up in front of his face that held a smug, yet playful grin. "Found ya."

Flamo squealed and flailed with all six limbs. "Nooo, I've been captured! Captured by the pirate captain! Zeek! Minga! Save me!"

Zeek and Minga were far too busy laughing to be of assistance, but Daisy leapt up shouting, "I'll save you, Flamo!" She ran for the table, using a chair to reach it and grab a spoon and bowl. The bowl became a helmet, and she charged at Blaze, waving the spoon and yelling a war cry.

"Stay back!" Blaze grinned, holding the wet towel close to Flamo's face. "Stay back or I'll scrub his face!"

Daisy skidded to a stop on the scuffed wooden floor, catching herself on one paw as she stumbled forward. Her spoon tapped the floor as she pushed back to her feet, shoulders thrown back as she scowled up at Blaze and Flamo, young mind turning over the ultimatum. She finally pouted and dropped her spoon, then crossed her arms over her chest. "No fair," she pronounced.

Blaze smirked. "Then I guess Flamo's gonna have to have his face cleaned." He brought the wet towel to the shoyru's syrup-covered face, wiping the mess off in a few short scrubs.

"Noooo!" howled Flamo, struggling to push the towel away from him and flailing to keep from getting cleaned off.

Minga and Zeek were still laughing, and Daisy kept on pouting, and the Soup Faerie looked on with amusement and sympathy. She was slowly working through the line, and most of the customers were entertained by the ruckus.

"There, all clean," Blaze stated and discarded the towel, then set Flamo down on the floor beside the red cybunny. "The captain will let you go this time, but next time, you may not be so lucky." He grinned, winking at the child.

"Oh, yeah? GET HIM!" the shoyru commanded the other children, lunging himself at the tall lupe.

Daisy followed immediately, her pout disappearing. She whooped in delight and snatched up her spoon, racing up to attack with it like a sword. Minga was a little slower to get the memo, and sat up to watch with wide eyes as Zeek charged in as well, rushing up to grab Blaze's tail and pull. Finally, the pink bruce pulled herself up and ran… away from the roughhousing. She rushed over to the Soup Faerie and pulled on her pants leg. "Hewlp us, Faewie!" she pleaded, pulling her toward the struggle.

The faerie wavered a moment, then gave the next in line his bowl of soup. She scooped up Minga and fluttered over to the fray, leaping on Blaze with a war cry.

The red canine laughed, letting out feigned cries of pain and terror with over exaggerated dramatization. "I can't defeat you… You're too strong… too powerful…!"

There were surprised murmurs and a few chuckles from those who could see the fray, a few cheers for the kids and some sympathetic encouragement for the beleaguered lupe. The kids did their best to hold down the various limbs they had gotten a hold of, and the small Soup Faerie sat on his chest. But then she got a positively wicked gleam in her eyes, and leaned down to tickle him mercilessly along the sides of his ribs.

Blaze burst with laughter as his sensitive ribs were under attack by the delicate fingers of the Soup Faerie. His body wriggled under the weight of her in a pathetic attempt to escape her good-natured tickle torture. "M-mercy!"

"Keep tickling him, miss Soup Faerie!" Zeek urged the faerie, thoroughly amused with the scene.

"Gotcha, Zeek," she replied, grinning down at Blaze impishly, not giving him a chance to wriggle away or breathe.

The kids had gotten the idea by now and Daisy gave up bashing at him with her spoon and began tickling at the fur on one of his paws. Minga, Flamo, and Zeek followed suit, each positioning themselves at the lupe's remaining paws, tickling them as vigorously as they could. Poor Blaze gasped for air between his hysterical laughter. By now, he knew escaping the barrage of tickling was futile, and he laid there, taking it until they would decide to give him a break.

The Soup Faerie reveled in the moment of power, and felt giddy with the rush of unbridled fun to her head. She was only distantly aware of the crowd of Neopians watching, growing impatient that they weren't being fed. Blaze was gasping for breath by this point, and she finally eased up on him, and called to the kids, "All right, guys, I think he's taken all he can. We don't want to break him. He could be a valuable hostage."

The children obediently ceased their tickling, allowing the lupe to catch his breath from the session. He sat up, panting heavily with a wide grin upon his furry maw.

The Soup Faerie smiled around at the kids to thank them for stopping and to share their triumph. She looked down at Blaze, victory shining in her eyes, and got off of him so he could sit up. "That's what you get for your nefarious deeds, pirate. Now that we have defeated you, you shall serve in the galleys as kitchen slave until the end of your days!"

"Oh, no… any… anything but… that…!" Blaze panted, in mock defiance.

"Yes!" Minga exclaimed, standing on her tiptoes for emphasis. "Yew wiwll cook fowr us forever!"

"Yeah!" piped in Flamo, warming to the idea. "Pancakes for breakfast everyday! And cake and ice cream for lunch! And…" He thought hard, and Zeek piped up.

"And macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for dinner every night!" Flamo nodded vigorously.

"And bwownies," Minga added.

"Ice cream and cake for lunch?" Blaze chuckled. "Wouldn't you rather have healthy vegetables?"

"Eww!" Zeek scrunched up his face in disgust at the thought of ingesting vegetables.

"I hate vegeti-tables," said Flamo, sticking his tongue out.

"You heard them, pirate. No veggies for this crew. They want ice cream to put hair on their chests." The boys giggled and threw out said chests, and the girls "eeewww"ed in unison. "Until lunchtime, I suggest you get to work on your secondary duties of entertaining your new crew."

"Aye, aye, lassie," the lupe laughed softly, his grin then stretching wider. "You know… you're a real cute little lady. Maybe we should get to know each other better."

The smile on the Soup Faerie's face disappeared into a blush. The noise in the room dimmed a little. There were some strange looks, a few chuckles, and the Soup Faerie straightened and stared back with a perky smile. "You may hang out with the grown-ups when you've finished your chores for the day, Cinderella." With that, she went back to her pot and began ladling soup to the waiting neopets.

Blaze's eyes followed the Soup Faerie as she headed back to the cauldron. His attention was suddenly averted when Flamo jumped on his head, grabbing a hold of his muzzle.

"Gotcha!"

He laughed happily as the remaining children proceeded to crawl all over him, giggling with bliss. The lupe gave each of the children an occasional affectionate nuzzle as they wrestled with him.

A blue aisha glanced over at the red lupe and the children as she received her soup. "He certainly is good with children. It's too bad he's too big. He would make a terrific father."

The Soup Faerie served soup with her usual good cheer, and only the oldest of her regulars might have noticed that she was distracted. She couldn't help but keep looking over at Blaze and the children, and whenever she looked, she couldn't help but smile. A glow of warmth suffused her, making her feel whole and at peace. _'This was what infatuation was like,'_ she thought. She handed a bowl to a blue aisha, and listened with half an ear as she looked over at Blaze… and felt her stomach go hollow. The happy glow vanished, and she looked at the aisha, nonplussed. She flushed with anger. "He is not too big," she hissed. "And he _will_ make a terrific father," she added without thinking.

The row of pets who weren't transfixed by the group at play brought their full attention to the Soup Faerie, shocked at her sudden enraged outburst. The aisha's jaw dropped, nearly dropping her bowl as well. "I… I'm sorry, S-Soup Faerie… but… it's… impossible for a pet his size to have a-any sort of… relationship with any normal pet… I-it wouldn't work."

The faerie didn't notice that her anger had drawn notice, and was too angry to care anyway. "You say normal like he doesn't count, like he's some kind of circus freak." She shook her head, her face showing her disappointment. She tried to let go of her anger, but she couldn't accept the validity of the aisha's matter-of-fact prejudice. "Never mind. Please, enjoy your soup."

The aisha blinked, dropping the matter when the Soup Faerie dismissed it, and sat down at a bench to eat. The neopet next in line, and orange meerca, bounced forward on her tail. "Please excuse my friend, Soup Faerie. I'm sure the lupe will be a good papa. There's always the possibility of adopting a child, right?"

The Soup Faerie couldn't quite summon her previous effervescent feeling, and she nodded to the meerca woodenly, her smile faint. "Of course. He's already taking care of Zeek, and you can see how good he is with him." Her voice sounded hollow even to her own ears.

"That's wonderful, he'll have someone to love dearly," the meerca beamed, unaware of how her words may have sounded to the faerie.

The Soup Faerie smiled wryly and handed a bowl of soup to the meerca. "Love is precious. We should all love someone so much."

"Indeed it is, and we should. Thank you." The meerca happily accepted the bowl of soup after dropping to her feet - to avoid spilling any if she were to continue hopping - and joined her friend.

The next neopet in line was a brown elephante, an old regular. He stepped forward with a soft smile upon his wrinkled face, his eyes conveying many years of life experiences. The sight of the familiar old elephante brought a real smile to the Soup Faerie's face, and she greeted him warmly with a quick hug. "Good morning, Willifer, how have you been? I have your favorite today, chowder."

"Good morning, Soup Faerie. Besides the fact that I'm an old geezer and the blind edges around my eyes are getting closer to the middle, I've been doing fine." The aged elephante returned the hug, his smile growing as he pulled away.

Chuckling softly, the faerie dished up a bowl for him. "I swear you were old when you first started coming here, and you haven't aged a day since. Sometimes I think you never were a kid, and you just play at getting older," she told him with a sparkle in her eyes. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, same thing everyday, which is just enough for me to handle." Willifer placed his hands on his back as he leaned back a little, popping tension from it with a satisfied groan. "Those natural remedies my owner's giving me have been helping with my arthritis."

"Good, good. Chased any more young hooligans off your lawn?" She set his bowl on the table so he could sit across from her, and started dishing up soup for the next in line.

"Haha! No, I think they learned their lesson. At least for another week," he laughed, carefully sitting down to eat. He turned his head into the direction of Blaze and the children once his ears caught the sound of a shrill squeal that came from Minga. The lupe had the little pink bruce enveloped in an arm.

The squeal called the Soup Faerie's attention as well, and she again couldn't keep a smile back at the sight of the lupe and the pack of children, though this smile was tinged with sadness. The world was unpleasant for oddballs - not necessarily cruel, but certainly not accommodating. She had no doubt that Blaze would fight to the last ounce of his strength for someone else to have what they wanted, but he never seemed to give the barest of thought for himself. She shook her head and passed out another bowl to a waiting pet. "What do you think of my new kitchen hand?" she asked Willifer.

"He's family friendly," the elephante responded with an approving smile. "It's hard to find young men who ain't afraid to show their soft and nurturing side these days."

The faerie snorted at that. "You should talk, old man. You're about as soft and nurturing as aged boot leather," she groused at him amiably, though it wasn't true. Willifer was a great friend. "And he's a kitchen hand," she added, "not a candidate for 'Poster Lupe'." She still wasn't quite sure what Blaze was to her, of course. And she wasn't sure how much she was brave enough to reveal to the world about their relationship.

"Well, a fellow like that should have a mate." Willifer was about to bring up the lupe's size, but decided that would only upset the faerie. It was obvious to him that the lupe meant something special. That, he could already pick up just by powers of observation.

"Mm," she hummed noncommittally, lowering her eyes to the soup. She served another customer before speaking. "Of course he should. Everyone should have someone," she said, falling back on what she had said to the meerca. "What about you, Willifer? You strike me as good marriage stock. Where's the pretty young thing for you?" she winked.

Willifer chuckled. "As a matter of fact, I'm seeing a lovely old lass. Classy thing she is." The old elephante sighed, the expression on his face matching giddy feelings overwhelming him as his mind went to the mentioned female.

Blinking in surprise, she tilted her head to regard the love-struck elephante. "Oh, really? And why haven't you brought her around for me to meet yet, hmm?"

"Because I just met her a few days ago," said Willifer, finishing his chowder. "You'll meet her soon. What about you? Met anyone who strikes your fancy yet?"

The faerie focused very carefully on not looking at Blaze. In fact, she turned her back on the lupe under the excuse of spooning out more soup for the next customer, and laughed. "I'm the Soup Faerie, old codger. Who would I be interested in?" she returned evasively.

"Come on, there must be someone," Willifer chuckled, making sure he got every bit of chowder from the bowl he could possibly get.

She turned to look at him, trying to keep her expression blank. "Nosy, as usual. I really don't know who you expect me to take a fancy to," she leaned forward and lowered her voice mischievously, "Unless you're suggesting something scandalous about me and that cute little Shop Wizard who lives up the road."

Willifer laughed. "Oh, Soup Faerie. You and I both know he's married and has a couple kids. Though it really wouldn't surprise me if you took a liking to a neopet, you're around them all the time."

She pulled back so fast she bumped into the cauldron and dropped her spoon in. She knew she was turning bright red, so she dived over the edge of the pot on the pretense of trying to retrieve her spoon. From inside the pot, her voice echoed. "See what you made me do with your shenanigans?" She surfaced with the spoon, her arm covered in soup, and grimaced, heading to the counter for a towel to clean up. She glared at Willifer. "Hmph. Don't say things like that. It's not right."

The elephante raised a brow. "What's not right?"

The faerie was obviously distressed by the turn in conversation, and she glanced around at the pets who were eating nearby. Only a few more were at the door, and she went over to serve them, trying to regain her composure. Her mood was all over the map today. "Nothing. Just, that kind of relationship… it isn't normal." Her voice was very low, and she hurried through giving soup to the last few before going to shut the door.

"Neither is interspecies pet relationships, but they happen all the time. My lady friend just happens to be a wocky," he said as his gaze followed the Soup Faerie, very observant, sensing something was up.

She shook her head, and felt her bandana sliding back, and readjusted it so that the loose strands of hair were tucked away. A couple of the stragglers finished their soup and got up to leave with a courteous thanks to the Soup Faerie. She sat next to Willifer with her arms around her ribs. "But you're all pets. That's completely normal."

"Bah. What is normal anyway?" Willifer shrugged lightly. His eyes went back over to Blaze and the children who were still in the heat of play, then he gazed back at the Soup Faerie, and leaned in, his voice at a whisper, "It's that lupe, ain't it?"


	14. Soup Faerie Soup

Pony: I now give you chapter number fourteen!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Fourteen: Soup Faerie Soup_

The Soup Faerie's face turned such a deep shade of crimson, her brain was probably suffering from lack of oxygen. Hence why she was light-headed. Her hands covered her face for a moment before she peeked up at Willifer. But she couldn't admit it. "I don't care what you say, I know it's awful," she whispered, glancing over at Blaze and seeing him holding Zeek over his head while the other three tried to climb up and 'save' him. "And even if it's not, everyone else thinks it is."

"That ain't true. Many would think so, but not everyone. 'Everyone' would include me," The aged elephante figured the Soup Faerie felt something for the red lupe. After all, he had seen the way she had looked at him earlier, and he was no fool; he knew that look all too well.

The Soup Faerie couldn't meet his eyes. "You aren't everyone. You're Willifer. You're evolved." She smiled at her poor attempt at a joke, and went to get a rag and start wiping down the table. One of the two remaining pets got up and handed her his bowl with a smile and left. "I wish life was simpler," she muttered.

Willifer got up, groaning lightly as his old bones ached. "Well, I better be going. It's almost time for me to take my remedies again," he said, then smiled at the faerie. "Then I'll be meeting my lady friend. I'll bring her by at supper."

A smile spread over the faerie's mouth, and she gave the elephante a one-armed hug as he went by. "You'd better. I'll be waiting for you. What's her favorite kind of soup?"

"Classic chicken noodle," Willifer responded, hugging the faerie. "She's an easy one to please. Fortunately for me," he laughed as he drew away.

She sighed at him, shaking her head. She couldn't help being charmed by the old elephante. "I'll wish you luck with her, then. See you later." She saw him to the door, along with the last of the breakfast crowd who passed off his bowl. She turned back to see what Blaze and the kids were up to now.

"Wake up, Bwaze!" Minga giggled as she, along with the rest of the children, shook the lupe. He was on his back with his eyes closed, and a small smile cracked despite his attempt to keep his face blank. A fake snore escaped him and he turned onto his side with a whining groan.

The smile should have given him away, but the kids got caught up in smothering giggles as he flopped over with a canine groan. They tried shaking him again, and then Flamo climbed up on his shoulder and tugged on his ear, saying loudly, "Wake up, the pirates are coming!"

"Mommy, I don't wanna go to school," Blaze groaned in response. A roar of laughter erupted from the little tykes, and they fell over onto their backs and gripped their stomachs.

The Soup Faerie rinsed out the bowl she was holding, listening to the kids laughing. With the bowl half full, she fluttered over to the children silently and hovered over Blaze, holding a finger to her mouth to signal for the children to be quiet. They giggled louder. Before they could alert Blaze, she tipped the bowl so it dribbled a stream of water down on his muzzle.

"Aah!" Blaze instantaneously sprang to his feet, water trickling from the wet fur of his muzzle. He glanced up at the Soup Faerie, casting a smirk at her. "Thanks for that, I needed a little bath."

She blinked at him innocently. "A little one? And here I have a whole sink full of water that's just gonna go to waist." She sighed dramatically, then turned a speculative look on the little ones. "Unless someone else wants a bath…"

As quickly as Blaze had leapt to his feet, the children turned around, dashing madly from the Soup Faerie to search the Soup Kitchen for a place to hide. The red lupe chuckled as the youngsters scampered off. Again, his eyes met the faerie's, with a look of mischief.

The faerie faked a frown after them. "What? Don't you guys like baths?" she asked, sounding confused. She shared Blaze's grin.

No response came from the hidden children. "I guess we're gonna have to find them in order to find out," Blaze said, his voice loud enough for all four children to be able to hear him, and he gave the Soup Faerie a wink.

"How about you sniff around and ferret them out, and I'll follow with a big blanket to grab them with?" she suggested, heading toward the bedroom.

"Sounds like a plan, Soupy," the lupe nodded, and he brought his nose to the wooden floor, searching for the scents of each child. The faerie came back with a big comforter and hovered behind Blaze, keeping a sharp eye for movement. He followed the familiar scent of the little bruce. His nose eventually lead him to the large cupboard beside the door. He grinned and jerked his head, motioning for the Soup Faerie to position herself at the other side of it.

Stretching the blanket out in front of the cupboard, she knelt behind Blaze and nodded for him to open the bottom door. The lupe complied, reaching for the small knob on the miniature-sized door located at the base of the cupboard. He opened it carefully and observed for the next move.

Minga's eyes went wide in surprise, and she squeaked and made a break for freedom. The Soup Faerie darted forward and scooped her up, folding her into the blanket with. "Gotcha!"

"Nice catch, Soupy," Blaze laughed, closing the door.

"Hewlp me! Fwamo! Zeek! Daisy!" came Minga's muffled squeaks.

The faerie threw back her head and laughed maniacally. "Your little friends can't help you now!" she cried. "It's into the bath water with you. Or maybe into the pot instead. What do you think, Blaze? Does bruce soup sound good to you?"

"Sounds delicious. Maybe we should season her up first," Blaze grinned devilishly.

"Mmm, you're right. Cinnamon. Definitely cinnamon." Minga squealed in childlike outrage and flailed inside the blanket violently. "But you know," the faerie continued, speaking even louder to be heard over Minga's shouts, "Plain bruce soup is rather boring. I think we need at least one more flavor to complete the soup."

"I was thinking two or three more," the lupe responded, the volume of his voice increasing as well to be heard over the bruce.

She nodded. "Where should we store this one while we go hunting?" Minga was struggling so hard she almost pulled the faerie over.

"Hmm…" Blaze's eyes scanned the Soup Kitchen until they stopped back at the cupboard again. "How about the cupboard?"

"All right," she said, "we'll throw her in the brig and I'll stand watch while you bring home new meat for the pot." She gave him a piratical look and headed back to where they found the pink bruce. Popping the little door open with one foot, she knelt and pushed Minga, blanket and all, into the large cupboard.

"Aye, aye, lassie," Blaze chuckled, and resumed his task of tracking down the remaining little ones. The lupe drew closer and closer to one of the sets of shelves where Zeek was hiding inside a large empty jar. He lifted his head, smirking at the jar. "Oh, I'll never be able to find Zeek." In no longer than a few seconds, Blaze removed the lid of the jar and pulled out the kacheek by the scruff. The little green child flailed in the lupe's gentle grasp. "Well, look what I found!"

Minga was still thrashing in the blankets, so the Soup Faerie watched Blaze work. When he fished out Zeek, she nodded approvingly. "Green kacheeks taste like mint, right? I love mint."

"Mmm. He'll be a perfect addition to the soup. Won't you, little guy?" Blaze chuckled sadistically at the flailing kacheek, who was too busy trying to escape and keep his giggling contained.

"Bring him over to the brig and stick him in with the other one. This'll teach them to run away from a perfectly good bath!"

From the tangle of blankets in the cupboard, Minga called, "Save yewrself, Zeek!"

"It's too late, little lady!" Blaze set the little kacheek into the cupboard with the bruce where he finally burst with hysteric giggles.

Minga was still covered in blankets, and had given up trying to escape. She heard Zeek laughing close by and said, "Zeek, hewlp me pwease."

Still giggling, he instead dived on top of the lump that was Minga. The bruce squeaked and giggled, then fought back against the kacheek's weight through the blanket.

Blaze snickered, his heart warming from the laughter of the captured children. He faced the faerie with a dramatized salute. "I am off to find more fresh meat!"

"Good luck, sir." She returned the salute.

Minga managed to find the edge of the blanket and crawl out of it, sitting on the pile of fabric comfortably. The mock battle between her and Zeek was over as fast as it began. She leaned over and whispered to him, "They wreally gonna put us inna sewp?"

Zeek shrugged. He lifted a paw and licked it. "I don't think so," he whispered back. "I don't taste like mint at all."

"I shall return to you," the lupe added on before turning on his heel and dropping down on all fours to sniff out the next child.

Zeek tried to look innocent as he sneaked a look at the Soup Faerie, and she pretended not to notice. But, when he made a break for it, she snaked out a hand, scooped him up, and deposited him back in the cupboard carefully, upside down. He giggled and squealed, catching himself on his hands before tumbling down backwards. "Not quick enough, young un'."

Blaze let out a quiet chortle, his ears catching the sounds of the scene behind him. He stalked forth, poking his nose in the cabinet under the sink. "Aha!" They shoyru and cybunny had hidden there together and the lupe wrapped his arms around the both of them before they had a chance to get passed him. He stood up and turned to the Soup Faerie's direction. "Bring the rest, lassie! I have captured two more!"

"Haha! Two for the price of one." She reached into the cupboard and picked up the blanket with both children on it and pulled them out in a big bundle of cloth and squirming kacheek and bruce. "Now, shall we marinate them first?"

"Yes, let's marinate them. The soup will taste better, and I know that because I have the best teacher in Neopia," the lupe beamed.

"Not your teacher anymore. You may now call me Captain Soupy, Dreaded Kitchen Pirate!" She swaggered forward with Zeek and Minga, chin high.

Flamo gasped. "The pirates disguised themselves as Soup Faerie and Blaze!"

Daisy's eyes widened and she turned to Blaze with a frown. "Hey, where's the REAL Blaze and Soup Faerie?"

"The real Blaze and Soup Faerie have been sent away to a traveling circus," Blaze replied, softly nudging the cybunny's cheek with his nose. He turned his attention back to the Soup Faerie. "So, Captain Soupy, which one shall we marinate first?" he asked before noticing a gleam of mischief in Flamo's eyes.

"I think… Daisy. She's an old salt, we should sweeten her up. What say we put her in a vat of honey for a couple days?"

The red canine seemed to have read the little shoyru's mind, his smirk matching the child's. "Good idea, Captain Soupy. Why don't you set those two on the counter and I'll get the honey."

The Soup Faerie was too busy keeping her nose in the air, reveling in her role of Pirate Kitchen Captain, to see the conspiratorial look that passed between Flamo and Blaze. She headed for the counter and set her prisoners down, keeping an eye on them. "I'll get a bowl big enough to hold a little cybunny."

Blaze, too, set his two captives down. Sneaking behind the faerie, and in one fluid motion, he wrapped on arm around her shoulders and bent over to slip his other arm under her knees, lifting her up in a bridal position. He grinned victoriously at the Soup Faerie. "I got the honey."

She made a startled noise and went still as Blaze swung her up in his arms. She stared at him in confusion for a second, then flushed and glowered. "Hey! Not cute!" she admonished, struggling to get away.

Blaze firmly held her. "Sorry, Captain Soupy, this is a mutiny!" He whirled around to face the children. "Hey, guys, how does Soup Faerie soup sound?"

All four kids jumped up and down and clapped, shouting their approval and crowding around Blaze's legs like a tribe of celebrating cannibals. The Soup Faerie shouted, "It sounds terrible!" but was ignored.

The tall lupe laughed at the children's enthusiasm. "All right! Let's toss her in the pot!" He stepped over the young ones, making his way over to the big empty cauldron, and he carefully set her inside of it.

The Soup Faerie allowed herself to be lowered into her cauldron, feeling the irony intimately. She was pretty sure this was the first time she had sat in the soup cauldron. She put her head back to look up at the faces peering over the lip of the pot at her. She stuck out her tongue. "Now what?"

"Well, kids, what should we add to our soup?" Blaze asked, his nose scrunching in amusement and his heart jumping, finding her positively cute in this position.

"Ice cream!" Of course, it was Flamo who shouted that one.

Minga made a face. "Ice cweam sewp? Yuck."

Flamo spoke up to defend his choice, "It's our soup, we can make it however we want. I want ice cream."

Zeek added, "I want meatballs."

Minga made another face, and Daisy giggled and said she wanted jellybeans.

"All right. Let's add our imaginary ingredients to our soup," Blaze instructed. "Then our soup will need some salt, or it'll be too sweet. There's no ingredient sweeter than the Soup Faerie," he added on, running a paw over the faerie's head and down her cheek.

The little kids immediately rushed off to get their ingredients, two heading for the measuring cups hung up by the sink, the other two grabbing the blanket and hauling it around the kitchen via the countertop.

The Soup Faerie blushed at the touch against her cheek, and ducked her head, suddenly shy, though she leaned into his palm.

Blaze smiled lovingly, his heart aflutter as it always was whenever he looked at her. His velvety hand caressed the soft skin of her cheek, and his thumb began to repeatedly stroke it.

The faerie let her eyes close as she absorbed the tender touch and listened to the sounds of the children dragging supplies over to make soup out of her. She lifted her hand and laid it over the lupe's to hold it against her cheek, realizing that she derived the deepest sense of comfort from him, something she had never gotten from anyone before. Overhead, Minga began counting out cups of salt and pouring them into the pot.

Blaze lowered his head into the pot, wanting to be at level with her, at least almost at level with her. Placing his free paw on the edge of the cauldron to hold himself up as he leaned in more, he nuzzled her other cheek. He kept an ear open for the children, keeping track of them.

The little faerie was dwarfed by the giant pot, and she was several inches shorter than the top in her sitting position, but she tipped her face up to his nuzzling. Zeek came up with the blanket and dumped its imaginary contents into the cauldron, saying it was a bowl of meatballs, before he trudged off to find another ingredient. The Soup Faerie kissed Blaze's soft cheek.

Blaze melted, his head dropping onto the edge of the pot as he drew back, and the all too familiar mooncalf expression returned to his face. He sighed blissfully, he was absolutely helpless when it came to the Soup Faerie and her sweet kisses. Flamo fluttered up to the cauldron momentarily to pour the imaginary ice cream into it, then proceeded to find another ingredient that would strike his fancy.

The faerie chuckled at the sight of Blaze's expression and the faint thud of his chin landing on the cast iron of the cauldron rim. She leaned forward and touched her nose to his wet one in an Eskimo kiss, then gave it a tiny, warm lick before leaning back and letting go of him, looking happy and amused and all kinds of smug for no reason whatsoever, considering she was the one being turned into Soup Faerie soup.

The red lupe shivered lightly at the tiny lick the Soup Faerie bestowed upon his nose. He lifted his head off the rim of the pot and planted a kiss on the bridge of her nose. As he drew away, he released another blissful sigh.

There is something to be said about having someone so infatuated with you. The Soup Faerie watched him turn away with a silly smile on her face she was totally unaware of. Then one of the kids said "Oopsie" and a heavy tin measuring cup clonked her on the head, and she made an undignified "oof" noise and rubbed her head.

"Careful, Daisy," Blaze said to the little cybunny before addressing the Soup Faerie with a nuzzle to her cheek. "You okay?"

The Soup Faerie faked a pout, still rubbing the top of her head. "Fine, fine. Can't I be turned into soup painlessly?" she pleaded of Daisy.

"Sorry, miss Soup Faerie," Daisy apologized, smothering a giggle ignited from the feigned pout.

"All right, now that I've been hit over the head and put in a pot with lots of ingredients, what's the next step?" she asked, content to be turned into imaginary soup.

"First we need to stir the ingredients together," Blaze replied, grabbing the wooden spoon and dipping it into the empty space in front of the Soup Faerie, and he stirred the imaginary contents together. "Everyone, grab a spoon! We're ready to taste test our soup!" he announced.

Four kids scattered in every direction to find spoons, and the faerie looked up at Blaze with one eyebrow arched. "I don't know if I like where this is going…"

Having pulled spoons off the counter, all of the children raced back and stretched down into the pot get spoonfuls to taste, making loud slurping noises and giggling to themselves.

Blaze chuckled and pretended to take a taste himself. "Mmmm… tastes like broccoli." After receiving a couple of 'eeeww's, disgusted faces, and a raspberry from Flamo, he laughed. "Just kidding."

The Soup Faerie sat up straighter, looking confused. "What's wrong with broccoli? I like broccoli."

The kids repeated their displease reactions. Blaze shook his head, laughing again before facing the Soup Faerie. "They're just kids, Soupy… I like broccoli too." A third time, came the disgusted 'eeeww's and Flamo's raspberry.

The faerie chuckled. "I know, I was just playing. But broccoli is awesome. It's tasty AND it makes you grow up to be big and healthy. That's why Blaze is so big and can beat up all the bad guys."

Blaze's ears drooped as he was overcome with bashfulness. "Well… not just broccoli. I ate all my vegetables."

The kids donned thoughtful expressions on their faces as they considered on trying more vegetables. If eating them in order to grow up big and strong was the price, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Feeling like she had done her good deed for the day in getting the children to consider healthful foods, the Soup Faerie decided it was time to make a break for it. In a flash, she leapt out of the cauldron, fluttering her wings to help, and raced for the front door with a victorious laugh.


	15. The Kitchen Pirate

Pony: Yay! Here's chapter fifteen!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Fifteen: The Kitchen Pirate_

"Hey!" Blaze exclaimed as the Soup Faerie zipped out of the pot. He dropped the wooden spoon into the cauldron and raced after her, calling back at the children, "Come on, kids, let's get her!"

The children dropped their spoons in unison, charging from behind the lupe and after the fleeing faerie, whooping like savage natives.

She reached the door and threw it open, losing seconds before she could reach the outdoors. Once outside, she flew around the exterior of the house, looking for a place to hide. There wasn't much available besides the obvious: bushes, trees… well, a tree would have to do it. Thanks to her wings, she flew straight up into a tree and alighted in the crook of it, trying to scrunch down in the leaf cover as much as possible.

"Where did she go?" Flamo asked as he, and the rest of the befuddled group, halted once they were outside, and scanned the area for the Soup Faerie.

"Let's split up and look for her," Blaze suggested. The children scattered, searching for the missing faerie in various possible hiding places. The lupe's nose had caught her scent in the air from her path of flight, but he would see if the kids could find her. He walked over to the tree where the faerie was hidden in and sat down on his haunches, keeping his eyes on the little tykes.

The Soup Faerie glared down the tree trunk at the lupe's red-furred head, and muttered quietly enough that the kids wouldn't hear "darned nose" and slumped down into the crook of the tree she had chosen and crossed her arms over her chest. The youngsters, scattered to the four winds, were rustling through bushes and bumping into each other creeping around the corners of the house looking for her.

The high-pitched call of "Miss Sewp Faewie, whewre are yew?" could be heard from behind the cottage, making the red lupe chuckle. Flamo and Zeek crawled around separate large shrubs while Daisy peeked around nearby trees. It was at least five minutes before the first gave up. Minga trudged around the side of the house, flippers hanging nearly to the ground, the picture of dejection. She stopped in front of Blaze. "I can't find hewr anywhewre," she said despondently, and flopped on the ground.

The red canid patted the little bruce's head reassuringly. "Don't worry, Minga. Maybe the others will find her."

Zeek and Flamo were walking through the little patch of woods beside the house, crawling through bushes and weeds. At one point, Zeek cried "Hey, look at this spyder!" and distracted Flamo from the hunt. Daisy made a disgusted noise and wandered over to Blaze, as well. "Where did she go?" she said, sounding confused.

Blaze resisted the urge to point out the faerie's location. Perhaps giving them a hint would help them find her. "Well… you guys searched low, maybe you should start searching _high_." The lupe smirked.

The faerie tried to think small, invisible thoughts while Blaze did his best to give her away. _'The wretch,'_ she thought at him with mixed annoyance and amusement.

Below, Daisy had her head tilted her head all the way back looking straight up into the foliage of the tree. She tipped her head so far back she fell on her bottom. "I dun see anything."

"Keep looking, guys. Look really hard," Blaze instructed with assurance lacing his voice.

Minga looked up into the tree, squinting into the leaves and branches. "I stiwll down't see…" she began, but didn't finish as her eyes caught sight of the bright yellow of one of the faerie's wings. "Thewre she is!"

"Fudge," said the faerie by her way of swear word, and swung her feet over the branch, giving up the pretense of hiding. Daisy spotted her as well and called Flamo and Zeek over. They all stared up at her and she looked down at them, chin in her palm. "You've spotted me, but how do you plan to get me?"

Blaze watched with amusement as all four of the children ran straight up to the base of the tree, jumping up and down repeatedly with their paws reaching out above their heads, trying to somehow climb up the trunk. None of them could jump or climb high enough to reach the first branch, but they gave it a good shot. Zeek even tried giving Minga a boost to see if she could get higher that way, but just ended up falling in a heap with the pink bruce on top.

The Soup Faerie gave her victorious pirate laugh. "You'll never get to me!"

"Get her, Blaze!" Flamo shouted, pointing his paw directly at the Soup Faerie.

The lupe laughed, glancing up at the faerie, mentally calculating the distance from his height to her. "Hmm, I'm not sure even I can reach her."

"Muahahaha! Even your champion cannot capture the great Kitchen Pirate Captain!" The Soup Faerie stood up on the branch and struck a pose.

"The great Kitchen Pirate Captain better be careful. I wouldn't want her to fall out of the tree," said Blaze as concern found its way into him when the faerie stood up on the outstretched bough.

"Bah, the great Kitchen Pirate fears nothing, especially not falling out of trees. That's what she'd got wings for," she directed that to the kids, winking.

"Nothing, huh? Are you sure she doesn't fear lupe pirates?" Blaze smirked deviously, backing up before making a running leap up the trunk only to fall short on height, sliding down and landing on his rear.

The little ones ran for cover as soon as Blaze raced toward the tree, and then fell down giggling when he slid back down and landed gracelessly on his butt. The Soup Faerie giggled behind a hand, then resumed her haughty expression. "You, sir, do not scare me in the slightest. If we were on my ship, I'd make you walk the plank."

He gazed back up at the faerie and he gave her a heartwarming puppy face to the best of his ability. "Would you really make me walk the plank, miss Kitchen Pirate?" The children released more giggles upon seeing the face on the large lupe.

She nearly melted at the sight of the puppy eyes, but turned her nose up again and closed her eyes. "Of course. I'm the big, bad Kitchen Pirate. I am immune to puppy eyes."

The large lupe dropped his puppy eyes as he pulled himself up onto his four feet again, then met the faces of the children. "Looks like she wins, guys. I guess we'll have to leave her in the tree forever."

"Hey," she said, indignant at being written off so fast. "You guys wouldn't last a minute without the Soup Faerie. Who would give away soup without the Soup Faerie around? Don't you want to know where I've hidden her?"

"Hmm… I guess you're right. None of us could possibly last another day without the Soup Faerie," said Blaze. "Where have you hidden her?"

"Yeah! Where's the Soup Faerie?" Zeek nodded, pressing the lupe's questioning that was followed by the agreeing nods from the remaining children.

"I can't just TELL you," she said with a shake of her head. "You have to give me something for the information. It's only fair, since I won."

"What dew yew want?" Minga asked.

"Hmmm," she hummed, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "I could ask for gold dubloons, but that's what all the pirates want. I think I want… a blueberry muffin from the Bakery down the road! You have to get me one and put it under this tree. You won't see me, because I'll be hiding. But, as soon as you bring the muffin here, I'll give the Soup Faerie back without a scratch."

"But, I don't have any money, miss Kitchen Pirate. Couldn't I just make a batch?" the lupe asked, tilting his head thoughtfully.

"Nope. It must be from the Bakery. If you don't have any money, I suggest you go play some games to earn some." She crossed her arms over her chest sternly, but smirked at Blaze. The lunch rush was coming up soon and she needed to make some more soup.

He looked back to the children, giving them a nod and motioning them to follow him as he began walking. "You kids heard the Kitchen Pirate. Let's go play some games so we can save the Soup Faerie!"

The Soup Faerie watched them leave, then sat listening until she could no longer hear the high chatter of the children or Blaze's baritone answering, and then waited a few more minutes to enjoy the sweet fall afternoon in quiet. She hadn't been completely alone since Blaze had shown up days ago, and while she wasn't antisocial, it was nice to have a little peace and quiet, and some space to think. She pushed herself out of the tree, flitting to the ground silently, and strolled back into the Soup Kitchen to start the soup for the lunchtime rush.

XXX

The lupe trotted along the cobblestone path that lead him and the quartet of children trailing behind, practically skipping. Their walk eventually lead them to a game of Meerca Chase. The young ones giggled as Blaze, who had never actually played the game and took some time to get use to, kept on crashing the little meerca into the red neggs that sprouted from the surface like spring flowers. He did get the hang of the game, and they were able to earn enough neopoints to buy a blueberry muffin from the Bakery. The eager little tykes jogged ahead of the lupe as they directed themselves back to the Soup Kitchen, anxious to see if the "real" Soup Faerie had been returned.

By the time the kids returned, the lunch rush was past, and the Soup Faerie had just enough time to think of a crafty way to allow them to recover the "real" her. She was just cleaning the last bowl when she heard them coming up the way. Or particularly, she heard Flamo say, exasperated, "Are you suuuure we can't have a nibble? Pirate Kitchen Captain won't know if we just eat a liiiiittle."

"We can't do that, what if we don't get miss Soup Faerie back then?" protested Zeek, the voice of reason this time.

The Soup Faerie raced for her bedroom, taking a chair with her. She left the door slightly ajar, then fluttered over to the closet, placed the chair inside, sat in it and shut the door. Then she started tying herself to the chair, ankles first, then waist, then used a bit of magical help to tie off the knot around her wrists behind the chair. And then she waited, listening quietly.

"The Kitchen Pirate is very clever and I think she'll know if someone has taken a nibble out of the muffin," said Blaze as he stopped at the doorway. "I'll put the muffin under the tree while the four of you look for the Soup Faerie, okay?"

The children nodded, and split up to search the cottage for the sought faerie. The lupe left momentarily to place the muffin under the aforementioned tree. A lone pawkeet perched in the tree, eyed the muffin, and swooped down to devour it once the red lupe disappeared into the Soup Kitchen.

The Soup Faerie smothered a girlish giggle within the closed closet when she heard Blaze send the children in as he delivered the ransom muffin to the tree. She could hear the kids scurrying around, calling out her name and making enough racket she worried they were making a mess. After a few minutes of letting them flounder, she called out, "Help! In here!"

"In there!" exclaimed Daisy, her small yet, sensitive ears picking up the Soup Faerie's feigned cry for help, and gestured for the others to follow her into the bedroom.

Blaze arrived in time to witness the pack of little ones hurry into the faerie's room, and he followed them, entering through the doorway just as Minga squeaked "Down't wowrry, miss Sewp Faewie! We'wll get yew owt" and all four of them grabbed a hold of the closet door and opened it.

The Soup Faerie winced slightly at the sudden light, since her eyes had already adjusted to the dark. Her eyes stung, and she decided to let them well up a little as she looked down at the little guys, endeavoring to look pathetic. She even stuck her lower lip out a little and let it quiver. "Thank goodness it's you! I thought I'd be locked in here forever."

"Are you okay, miss Soup Faerie?" Zeek asked as he and the other children tugged on the various knots that bound the faerie to the chair.

As the little ones went to work on the knots around her wrists and feet, she nodded. "I'm fine. Good thing you came and found me, though. I was afraid I'd be in here forever." She had left the knots loose on purpose, so it didn't take very long for even the children to untie her.

"Did the Kitchen Pirate hurt you?" Flamo asked.

Blaze stood back, peering into the closet with an amused smirk. His eyes met the faerie's and he gave her a wink, willing to go along with what ever she had to say.

Over the heads of the kids as they concentrated on the ropes, she stuck the tip of her tongue out at the lupe with a conspiratorial smile. But her voice was quiet and meek when she spoke. "Nope, just my pride. What did you guys do to scare her off?"

Blaze brought a paw to his mouth, suppressing a laugh as the Soup Faerie responded with her childish antic. Daisy was the first to speak up. "She told us to bring her a muffin and she would give you back."

"Really? Just a muffin?" She pouted. "I'm only worth a muffin."

"Nah, you're worth a lot more than that," Blaze piped, deciding to assist the children in unwinding the ropes, starting with the faerie's ankles. "You're priceless."

The faerie snorted too softly for the children to hear, and leaned forward when he crouched to unwind the ropes, whispering, "Flattery will get you everywhere, sir," before leaning back. The kids managed to get the Soup Faerie's wrists loose, and she pulled them free with a sigh of exaggerated relief. She snatched up Zeek and Minga and hugged them. "Thanks, you guys. You're my little heroes."

The little ones beamed proudly, Zeek and Minga returned the hugs that the faerie had given them. Blaze let out a soft whine and his puppy face returned. "Hey, what about me?" he whimpered, resting his head upon the faerie's lap after the kacheek and bruce hopped off of her.

The lupe's broad, warm muzzle settled in her lap called up all kinds of warm and happy feelings, and she smiled a silly little smile down at him, then slipped her fingers through the long fur of his cheeks and ruffled his ears. "You're my hero, too." She gave in to the urge to give him a light kiss on the nose, and there was a chorus of "ewwww"s from the boys, and some giggling from the girls.

He felt light-headed and warm and fuzzy inside. He tilted his head slightly, giving her left arm a few licks before gazing back up at her with the same expression she held. "And you are mine."

The Soup Faerie put on an expression of surprise and confusion. "Moi? But I'm just a little soup faerie. Nothing heroic about that. You guys had to come save me."

The kids stood tall and Flamo said, "Yeah, we played hard to get that muffin for the Kitchen Pirate!"

Blaze chuckled, turning his attention to the little ones. "Oh, but there is. Getting up early every day to feed pets that would otherwise go hungry." The lupe's gaze shifted back to the Soup Faerie. "She kept me from going hungry." He was careful with his words. He didn't want to use the phrase 'starve to death' in front of the children. They were still at a tender age, and why unnecessarily take away a part of their innocence? He hoped the faerie would understand how important she was in his eyes, and how important she was keeping thousands of pets fed and alive.

Zeek went very quiet, but he nodded, and finally said, "She always gave me food when I was hungry."

The other kids looked a lot more serious than usual. "I down't wike being hungwy," Minga piped up. She wrapped her flippers around the Soup Faerie's leg.

The little faerie felt her heart turn over. "How could I not feed noble pets like you guys?"

"You feed the grumpy ones too, right?" Flamo asked, his thoughts trailing back earlier to the grarrl who had swung his tail at him.

"Of course. Everyone gets hungry, even grumpy pets. It's easy to be nice to nice people. It's harder to be nice to grumpy ones, but it's just as important." She couldn't resist getting in a little life lesson for the children. She was still ruffling Blaze's fur, enjoying the silky smooth warmth. "That's not heroic. That's just being a good person. You guys rescuing me from the evil Kitchen Pirate was heroic, because it means I can keep feeding pets. And speaking of that, didn't you guys want to help make soup? We should be getting ready for dinner!"


	16. Willifer and Opal

Pony: Hooray for chapter sixteen!

Disclaimer Dude: You actually exceeded fifteen chapters…

Pony: Yesh!

Disclaimer Dude: Yeah… Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Sixteen: Willifer and Opal_

The cybunny and bruce immediately jumped up and down, and bolted for the door. The young boys were hesitant at first, but now wanting to assist after receiving a newfound respect for what the Soup Faerie did, and they went after the girls.

As usual, Blaze laughed at their enthusiasm. The feeling the faerie's soft, delicate fingers running through his fur felt wonderful to him. Brushing his velvety muzzle over her arm, he smirked up at her. "I still say what you do is heroic. You won't change my mind about that."

"Nah," she objected mildly, lulled by his warmth, "You have to fight monsters and win prizes to be a hero. I just make soup. But you can think whatever you like, so long as I can keep using you as my personal hand warmer," she joked, and then wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him.

Blaze's heart melted, and he wrapped his own arms around her and nuzzled her cheek. "I'll keep you warm anytime, my Kitchen Pirate… or would you prefer Kitchen… Angel, perhaps…?" His ears fell back as he drew away slightly, feeling a little embarrassed. "Eh, sorry if that was corny. Heh, heh…"

She smiled as she pulled away and stood, stepping free of the untied ropes and heading off to the kitchen with her chin high. "Kitchen Queen will do quite nicely, I believe."

The large lupe felt relieved, and glad that she went along with what he had said that sounded a little corny to his ears. "Or… Kitchen Goddess?" he suggested, rising to stand upon his hind legs.

She lost some of the dignified effect she was going for when she snorted "Goddess?" at him like he was two pennies short of a nickel. "Nope. Nothing supernatural. Empress is the highest I'll raise you."

"Okay, then what's the Kitchen Empress doing using her own legs?" Blaze grinned with a hint of mischief glittering in his eyes. For the second time that day, he swept the faerie off her feet, lifting her up in a bridal position. "Shouldn't she be carried?"

"Hey, you!" she squawked, her stomach jumping up into her chest at the sudden change in position. "The Empress is perfectly capable of walking! It's my own legs or a litter, and that's final!" But she was laughing, and she put her hands up on Blaze's shoulders to hold on.

"Would she prefer to walk?" he asked, raising a brow before lightly brushing the soft fuzz of his muzzle against her neck, following with a quick lap with his tongue.

The lick made the Soup Faerie giggle, and she leaned her head against the lupe's shoulder. "Perhaps not," she said, relenting. "So long as her fierce and unquestionable sovereignty isn't compromised by her vulnerable position."

"The Empress shall remain high and mighty," Blaze chuckled, the faerie's giggle causing his heart to flutter wildly, and he nuzzled her.

"Good answer," she replied, and nuzzled into his fluffy chest fur. "I will therefore allow my champion to keep carrying me. And I'll enjoy the view while I'm here." She reached up and toyed with his ears and ran her fingers over the long line of his jaw.

The red lupe's tail wagged and he felt a shiver race down his back. "Hmm… Oh, any view of the Empress is an enjoyable view. Shall we check on our little heir and his comrades?" His face went hot, realizing how his words sounded right after they left his mouth.

A flush tinged the faerie's cheeks at Blaze's words, but then she laughed. "Prince Zeek, huh?" she asked through her laughter. "Heir to the giant soup cauldron. We shouldn't tell him, it'll go to his head."

Blaze chuckled, still quite embarrassed. "Yeah, we want him to grow up kindhearted and humble just like the Empress."

"_Psh_," she said, and flicked the edge of his ear gently. "Flattery again. Watch it, I may have to upgrade you from Empress' champion to consort if you aren't careful."

His eyes gleamed and his grin grew. "And what are the duties of the consort, my Empress?"

"Oh, lots of boring things, like keeping me entertained when holding court," she gestured to the kitchen, where she served soup to any who were hungry and in need, "and engaging in witty repartee with the nobles, and looking out for the comfort of my people. Little things like that." She considered it carefully. "Oh," she added, like it was an afterthought, "and I will require your services in keeping me warm at night, and protecting me from bedtime monsters. Those are and empress' greatest enemy, of course." She hid her grin pretty well, she thought.

A giddy giggle escape the tall canid before he even saw it coming. His ears drooped and his face flushed even more. He swallowed silently as he carried the faerie toward the kitchen, more embarrassed than ever.

She didn't keep her composure long, and ended up chuckling herself, utterly charmed by him. She pulled herself up in his arms and rubbed her nose in his cheek fur. "I love you, my shy hero."

Blaze felt more energized than he had ever been upon hearing her confession. Before, she wasn't completely sure of her feelings, but now… there was no hesitation, no doubt in her voice. He nuzzled into her passionately. "I love you too, my wonderful faerie."

The small faerie had gone still after she spoke the words, not realizing the importance of the confession until after she spoke it. But Blaze took it in stride. He had never had any doubts, had he? She snuggled deeper into his arms, wondering where he got his certainty and why she couldn't have such faith. Even now she felt a stir of nervousness, her common sense reminding her of all the problems that would surly arise… but she pushed it out of her head to deal with when they became important.

The red canine felt her tense stillness before she cuddled up closer to him, sensing something was amiss. He held the Soup Faerie tighter, his voice heavy with concern. "What's wrong, Soupy?"

"Noth…" she stopped, thinking she should probably be honest. If she was going to commit herself to what ever they had, she would have to be honest and let Blaze be her partner. "Just worried about the future," she said instead.

Blaze nodded, taking in her words and thinking them over. The future would certainly be a problem for them. He thought for a moment, choosing his works carefully. "Well, there's no doubt many will be shocked over this since it's never been done before, but… change has to start somewhere. Why not start with us?" the lupe finished, placing a kiss on the faerie's temple.

'_Phew…'_ she thought. First Soup Faerie, who dares to try to feed every hungry neopet in Neopia, and now pioneer into unexplored territory of interspecies love? Life was never going to be simple for her, was it? "You're right, of course. But we still have supper to make, and this empress feels the need to supervise her territory on her own feet."

He smiled softly, gently setting the Soup Faerie down on her feet. "Yeah, the little munchkins are probably getting impatient, or close to it."

There was a clatter and a crash from the other side of the hallway. Daisy's voice said, "Oops," and the Soup Faerie winced. "I'll let you lead the way, champion consort."

He nodded, starting toward the kitchen again, where the eager little faces of the young ones were waiting. The look in their eyes clearly stated that they were wondering where they had been. Flamo was the first to voice it. "Where did you go?"

"Oh, sorry, guys. We got lost when we took a wrong turn down the straight hallway," Blaze joked.

Zeek giggled while the other three looked slightly confused. There were two pans and three bowls lying across the counter, showing the cause of the noise. The Soup Faerie went to pick them up and said, "Right then! Who's ready to make soup?"

There was a chorus of "Me! Me! Me!"s as the children crowded around the Soup Faerie, waiting for instructions. The lupe's tail wagged, unable to hide his own excitement, not that he was trying to. "Okay, what kind of soup should we make?"

When Flamo immediately piped up with "Ice cream soup!", the faerie laughed and shook her head. "I don't think so. What about chicken noodle? A friend of mine said he was bringing someone who likes chicken noodle."

"I like chicken noodle!" Daisy declared, and was followed by a "Me twoo!" from Minga.

"Okay, we can split up into stations. We'll get this soup done in no time if we work together," said the lupe, still chuckling a little from Flamo's suggestion.

The Soup Faerie fluttered around grabbing jars from shelves. "All right, we need some water to start boiling. Here's some broth cubes, and noodles, and then we can put…" she paused for effect, "the veggies in."

The children blinked, and exchanged glances of light concern until Blaze spoke up. "I'll cut them in small pieces, okay?" The kids nodded, hoping they wouldn't receive as many vegetables in their own helping of soup if they were cut small.

After the water, broth cubes, and noodles were in the cauldron, Blaze assigned one child to fetch vegetables, another to clean them to be ready for cutting, one to dump them into the pot, and the final one to work with the faerie on spices and seasonings. With a small army of children at their command, the soup did go a little faster, though the faerie and lupe had to stop and instruct them occasionally and supervise when they might normally have had a task done already. But the kids enjoyed themselves.

***

It was beginning to get a little dark outside as the early evening of fall set in, and there was a polite knock on the door. The Soup Faerie was stirring the soup. "Anyone want to answer the door?"

"I will!" shouted Zeek as he was already sprinting toward the door. The kacheek jumped up to grab the doorknob, and let go as the door slowly swung open. At the entrance was an aged brown elephante and a just as old faerie wocky. The child stood in stunned silence at the sight of the wocky. She was a school teacher, a familiar one at that.

The Soup Faerie caught sight of who it was from her position by the cauldron. "I recognize that face! Come on in, and bring your friend. We just got done making some delicious chicken noodle soup." She tapped her wooden spoon on the edge of the cauldron to get the broth off of it, then wiped it on a cloth and stuck it in a pocket of her apron as she went over great the elephante. "I can already tell your lady friend is making you a better person: you're here early."

"Oh, yes, I am training him well," the wocky chuckled.

"It'll still take years for me to learn 'play dead'," Willifer joked back, earning a laugh from his lady friend.

"We're going to be friends, I can tell." The Soup Faerie smiled and reached out a hand to shake with the wocky's paw. "A pleasure to meet a special friend of Willifer's. I'm the Soup Faerie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Soup Faerie. I'm Opal." The wocky happily accepted the handshake. "Willifer has told me much about you."

"Uh-oh," the faerie said. "It's lies, all of it. I'm a saint, I swear."

"Of course it is," Opal smiled, going along with the Soup Faerie's bantering. "What else to expect from that old man?"

Blaze let out a snort of a laugh at the wocky's good-natured sarcasm as he listened in, clearing away the unwanted vegetable parts from the countertop.

Zeek was still standing beside the Neopian couple, looking a little uncertain if he should be pulling out a report card or raising his hand to speak.

The Soup Faerie gestured over to the little kacheek and said, "Opal, this little man who opened the door for you is Zeek. They shoyru rascal over there is Flamo, that's Daisy, Minga, and Blaze is my assistant. They've all been helping me make the soup for supper."

"Oh, yes, I know Zeek. He's in my class, which he is doing very well in, by the way." Opal offered a warm smile to the child, sensing his unease through many years of experience with being around children.

"That's great, Zeek," Blaze beamed at the green kacheek. "I'm glad you're doing well."

Zeek blushed and dragged a toe along the floor, suddenly fascinated with the wooden boards. The Soup Faerie patted the top of his head. "Good job." He blushed harder.

The aged pair nodded politely at the remaining children, then brought their attention to the tall red lupe. "What a dashing young fellow you are, Blaze," Opal complimented, offering her paw.

Blaze's ears drooped bashfully. "Oh, I dunno about that… but thank you, ma'am." He firmly shook Opal's paw, then Willifer's, now properly introduced.

Shutting the door quietly, the Soup Faerie led the way over to the table and picked up two bowls, filling them one by one and setting them out for the special guests. "So, interrogation time. How did you two meet?"

"Funny story, actually," Willifer began, chuckling lightly at the remembered event. Opal nodded and curled her arms around one of his as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "It was at the ice cream parlor. Both of us decided to stop by for an occasional treat at the same time. I accidentally bumped into her when she had hers and it fell on the floor, so being the polite gentleman I am, I offered to buy her another one."

"He bought me one of those fancy sundaes," the wocky chortled.

Blaze smiled as he listened in intently. "Sounds like fate took its natural course."

"Let me guess, you made sure to have him walk you home afterward, like the," the faerie paused to clear her throat for emphasis, "polite gentleman he is?" She grinned and settled and settled on a bench to listen to the rest of the story. Minga crawled up beside her, but the other kids were still taking turns stirring the soup and chattering to themselves.

"No, he offered me to go for a walk for a while," Opal smiled softly. "We talked and got to know each other."

"Who knew there was still a classy lady like this one still out there?" Willifer softly nuzzled the wocky's furry head.

Lifting her chin, the Soup Faerie looked down her nose at the elephante. "There are plenty of good, classy women out there, Willifer! They just have the sense to avoid rascals like you." She smiled and winked at Opal. "No offense to you, madam. You are excused because he blinded you with sugar, every woman's weakness."

"None taken, my dear," Opal chuckled and returned the cuddle.

"_Every_ woman's weakness?" Blaze looked into the faerie's direction, smirking.

A faint blush tinged the faerie's cheeks, and she slid a glance over to him. "Of course. Forget diamonds: chocolate is a woman's best friend."

"That's good. I couldn't afford diamonds," Willifer laughed with a hint of relief, still nuzzling Opal, who replied with a "Oh, that doesn't matter".

"I thought pets were a woman's best friend," said the lupe with a slight whine and showing off his puppy eyes.

"Ha! Chocolate is far superior. Chocolate is the food of the gods." She poked her tongue out at Blaze, then turned back to the cuddling couple of pets. "Are you two enjoying your soup?"

"Yes, it's wonderful. I have not had such marvelous soup in ages," the faerie wocky beamed approvingly, slurping up soup between cuddling.

"Then Willifer should bring you here more often, shouldn't he?" Blaze said, happy that their guests were enjoying the soup he and the children and the Soup Faerie made.

"Oh, I really shouldn't. My owner has more than three thousand neopoints. Far more," the wocky responded with disappointment gracing her features.

"Oh, _psh_," the Soup Faerie interjected, waving a hand in dismissal. "You would be coming as a guest, not as a customer. Ask Willifer, I had him bring you at my request."

"I was gonna bring you anyway, baby. I knew Soup Faerie wouldn't mind," Willifer smirked, nudging Opal playfully.

"See? Even Willifer knows you're welcome here. Heavens knows I let him in the door every time. That should make me a saint." There was a sudden splash and the Soup Faerie glanced over to see one of the children fishing around in the soup.

"Oh, no! The spoon!" Zeek said, trying to get it back. In his pursuit, he slipped and fell into the soup as well with a startled yell.

Blaze automatically whirled around to fish out the little kacheek. And not even caring that he was soaking with broth, the lupe held Zeek close, clearly worried to the point of panic. "Are you all right, Zeek? Did the soup give you any burns? Are you choking?"

The kacheek at first sputtered, then coughed, then licked his upper lip. The Soup Faerie had been halfway to him by the time Blaze got him out, worried as well, but the soup apparently wasn't hot enough to hurt him in so short a time. He put his paw in his mouth and mumbled around it, "I taste good."


	17. Chocolate Lupe

Pony: Okay, here is chapter seventeen!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Seventeen: Chocolate Lupe_

Blaze let out a relieved sigh as well as the aged couple and the children, also relieved that the little kacheek hadn't been harmed. "Oh, good, you're okay. Please don't do that again, okay, buddy?"

Zeek was still sucking on his paw, but he smiled up at Blaze. "Okay." He switched to his other paw, and the Soup Faerie shook her head.

"Someone needs a bath now," she said.

The red lupe nodded in agreement before noticing that the fur on his torso was now soaked from the broth that had dribbled off of Zeek. "I think that makes two."

She pointed into the bedroom toward the bathroom. "Go clean yourselves up, you troublemakers," she said, whipping at them with a towel.

Blaze jumped away, causing Zeek to giggle, and he smirked at her victoriously. "Missed us!"

"Oh-ho! That sounds like a challenge." Willifer grinned as he saw the Soup Faerie's eyes glint with competitive zeal. She advanced on the red canid with the towel, snapping it at his tail. The other three kids all ran for towels. The brown elephante winked at Opal, and leaned over to grab his own towel from the countertop. He and the children whooped and surrounded the Soup Faerie and Blaze as an all-out towel war broke out.

Opal laughed with amusement at the sight of the towel war going before her very eyes. She cheered for the elephante as he joined in, snapping his towel at the lupe, laughing almost maniacally. "Maybe that'll teach you, young man!"

"Aw, come on! She started it!" Blaze whined playfully, grabbing a towel himself and snapping it into the direction of the faerie he accused, still holding Zeek in his other arm, who was laughing too hard to do anything.

"Haha!" cried the Soup Faerie, stepping nimbly to the side in time to avoid his towel flick. Daisy squealed beside her as she got flipped in the face by Flamo's towel. Thankfully, the kids didn't really have the technique down to make the tip whip around fast enough to sting, so they didn't do each other any harm. Willifer, on the other hand, was an old pro, and he nailed Blaze on the top of his foot paw.

The tall canine released a short, high-pitch yelp as the old elephante's towel snapped at his paw. He hopped back on one paw and whipped back at him, aiming the hand that wielded the offending towel. Unfortunately for the lupe, Willifer knew every towel trick in the book. His towel flew in from the side, coiling around Blaze's towel tightly, and he yanked it from his grasp. "He's unarmed! Get him, troops!"

There was a mass of squealing as, yet again, the poor lupe was beset upon by a hoard of children and a Soup Faerie. Blaze sidestepped, trying his best not to step on any of the little ones while also attempting to avoid their towel flicks. His biggest threat was, of course, the faerie. As she whipped her towel at him, he tried to grab the end of it. He missed a few times, but he was eventually able to succeed, and he pulled her right up to him. "What now?"

That glint of challenge still in her eyes, the faerie held on as Blaze pulled her closer. When she was nose to nose with him, she smiled broad and said, "Now, I win." She kissed him, sliding her arms around his neck.

Blaze immediately let go of the corner of the faerie's towel and he curled his arm around her waist, kissing her back, and forgetting that he was still holding Zeek in his other arm as this thoughts dissolved.

Zeek scrunched his nose and stuck out his tongue in disgust, trying to push away as much as possible.

The Soup Faerie spent a little longer than she had intended on kissing him, because she was having fun. She then wrapped her liberated towel around his neck and flitted back. "I have him on a leash!" she crowed. "Now onward to the bath!"

The lupe was still light-headed from the kiss. With the towel wrapped around his neck, he gave the faerie an obedient nod. "Yes, mistress." As he entered the bedroom and walked into the direction of the bathroom, he stopped momentarily, noticing that the Soup Faerie's back was now turned. He quickly pulled the towel off his neck and whipped it at her, the end of the towel snapping her butt, and he darted for the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

She stiffened in outrage and turned to confront him, but it was too late, and she was left staring at the closed bathroom door and listening to the burst of laughter from the children and the old Neopian couple who had come to the doorway of the bedroom to watch. "Hmph."

Opal snickered, and Willifer said, "Whippersnapper," in his most cheerful tone.

"You'll get him when he comes out," said Opal, still chuckling. "He cannot stay in there forever."

The Soup Faerie assumed her favorite posture of righteous indignation, with her chin up, and said, "Yep. And when he comes out, I'll be ready for him." She turned to the rest of them with a playful smile and whispered, "Who wants to set up a prank?"

The three remaining children bounced up and down, their faces alight, and paws raised high. The old couple, however, needed to sit down - it was the end of the day and they were getting tired. So, the elephante and wocky went back to the kitchen to sit down and finish their soup.

"All right, guys, follow me." As the sound of water running started in the bathroom, she led the children straight out of the Soup Kitchen. She and the kids hit the Marketplace hard and returned in ten minutes carrying bags. All of the children were giggling. Together, they emptied several containers of chocolate syrup into a bucket, and Willifer and Opal started chuckling as well, the faerie wocky shaking a paw at them.

"For shame, you rascals!" she said, though was laughing as she said it.

Grinning unrepentantly, the Soup Faerie took the bucket and balanced it on top of the still over the bathroom door, and tied a string from the handle to the doorknob.

The children gathered around the Soup Faerie's feet, waiting anxiously, their paws and flippers covering their mouths, silencing their snickering somewhat. Unable to restrain their curiosity, Willifer and Opal got up from the bench and headed to the doorway of the faerie's bedroom, wanting to see the results of the prank.

The tabs squeaked as they were turned, and the flow of water ceased to droplets. The lupe and kacheek stepped out of the shower to dry themselves off. The excitement from the audience on the other side of the door mounted as the knob turned and the door slowly opened. The bucket of chocolate syrup tipped over, falling onto the red lupe's head. The victim let out an alarmed yelp as the chocolatey contents poured all over his clean fur. The green kacheek jumped back, his eyes wide with surprise, his mind taking in what had just happened.

There was a gasp from Opal, and a quiet chuckle from Willifer, but the children were not so dignified. All three fell on the floor laughing. The Soup Faerie fluttered out to the middle of the floor to pronounce, hands on her hips, "We got 'im, guys! Chocolate-covered lupe for dessert!" There was even more laughing, and a few squeals of disgust from Daisy.

Once Zeek had finally comprehended what had happened, he fell over on his back in a fit of hysterical laughter. Blaze lifted the bucket from his head, and more chocolate sauce dribbled down his fur. The lupe held the bucket with one arm as he rubbed at his eyes with the other paw. "I think I got some in my eyes." He blinked several times, his eyes watering with discomfort, but he chuckled, going along with the prank despite the shred of indignity he was currently suffering.

The Soup Faerie watched Blaze pull the bucket off his head, and felt a twinge of guilt creep through her laughter. She walked over to him and smudged her thumb through the chocolate over his eye, making sure that the drips didn't fall into them again, and then licked it off her finger with an apologetic smile. "Looks like someone needs another bath." At the same moment, there was a knock, as the first of the dinner guests arrived, and the faerie glanced up in surprise, having completely forgotten the evening rush. She turned to Willifer and said, "Would you mind taking care of thinks for a few minutes? I'm going to help Blaze get the sticky syrup out of his fur. It's going to be tough just for him."

"Certainly, Soup Faerie," Willifer smirked with a quick wink. "It'll be hard for an old man like me. How 'bout you kids come with me and Opal?"

The giggling youngsters rose to their little feet and raced out of the bedroom, eager to continue helping. Willifer laughed and followed them.

Opal smiled at the lupe and faerie before closing the door. "Behave yourselves, you two." Though her elephante companion hadn't told her about the faerie's interest in the lupe, she had a lifetime profession of social interaction, and she was too smart not to pick it up.

The faerie's eyes went wide and a blush stole over her face as the elephante winked at her. She frowned at him to hide her embarrassment, but then let out a little groan when Opal added her advice. She hadn't been suggesting… okay, maybe she had been thinking about… She covered her warm face with one hand and muttered, "Oh, gosh."

Blaze felt his own embarrassment peak at the wocky's suggestion, but he pushed it down and focused his attention on the Soup Faerie. "Umm… well… shall we get started, then?"

"Yep, back into the water with you." She took the bucket from him, wrinkling her nose at the gooey chocolate, and led the way back into the bathroom. "Hmm," she hummed, tapping a finger on her chin. "Shower or bath?"

"Umm… shower, I guess. Maybe that'll be the best way to get this syrup out," the lupe replied, completely oblivious to what the Soup Faerie was hinting at.

The Soup Faerie peeked at him out of the corners of her eyes, noting the total innocence, and felt somewhere between ashamed of her intentions toward him and amused by his obliviousness to them. Leaning down, she set the bucket on the floor and turned the faucet to start the shower, then turned on him and stood on her tiptoes to smooch the tip of his nose, then lick the chocolate off her lips. "I'm becoming very fond of your nose," she mused.

The lupe smiled goofily as the faerie kissed his nose. "Y-yeah?" was all he could say at the moment.

A grin spread over her face, and she reached up to smear more chocolate from his nose and licked it off, then reached up and pulled him down to her with one hand behind his sticky head. She kissed him gently, and ended up with chocolate on the end of her nose and giggled.

His eyes lit up as realization hit him. After the Soup Faerie pulled away from the kiss, he leaned in, running his tongue over her nose and licking up the chocolate. "I see what you're doing, Soupy," he smirked, placing his hands at her hips.

"Oh, really?" she asked innocently, large brown eyes wide as she was pulled into his sticky embrace. "What am I doing?"

"Why waste time talking about it when we can do something about it?" the lupe chuckled, melting at her innocent eyes, and kissing her forehead.

"Spoilsport," she teased, and pulled his head down to lick more chocolate from his cheek. The texture of chocolate-covered fur was peculiar, but not enough to deter her. "I'm sorry about the prank," she murmured, and nibbled on the chocolate-flavored edge of his ear. "It was mean of me."

Blaze enjoyed the sensations brought to him by the faerie nibbling on his ear. He sighed happily, running his paws up and down her sides. "No, it's okay. I'm used to pranks."

Her heart hurt a little at his confession. She could guess he had endured teasing because of his size, and it made her angry, particularly at herself because she had probably reminded him of the mean-spirited jokes pulled on him. "I'm going to make it up to you," she promised, and tugged on his ear with her teeth, gently, before pulling him back toward the shower.

The lupe smiled softly, his tail wagging as the faerie tugged on his ear. "You don't have to, you know…" He could feel butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he followed her into the direction of the shower.

"Don't have to do what? You still haven't told me what it is you think I'm doing here…" she smirked, and turned to push him under the water before reaching behind her to untie her apron. Once it was off, she reached for the bottom of her shirt and began pulling it over her head.

Blaze's eyes went wide and he stared as the Soup Faerie began to undress. He could already feel himself becoming aroused. "I-if… you insist."

She paused as she went for the buttons of her jeans and glanced up at him, struck with uncertainty. "Do you not want… I didn't mean to push you…" She pushed a hand through her hair and blushed even harder than before.

He continued to stare at her, marveled by her even though she wasn't completely undressed. "It's all right, Soupy… um… please d-do c-continue," the lupe pleaded, making it perfectly clear that he wanted her badly.

She smiled, still embarrassed, but encouraged and charmed by his stuttering, which she had come to realize meant he was overwhelmed, but not in a bad way. She returned to unbuttoning her pants and pushed them down along with her panties down her hips with a little shimmy before stepping into the shower with him.

Unable to help himself, the instant the Soup Faerie joined him, the lupe took her hands, pulling her right up to him. He ran his tongue over her cheek and down to her neck, lapping enthusiastically.

She giggled and leaned into him, soaking wet and covered in chocolate syrup as he was, her head tipped to the side to give him access. She twined her fingers of one of her hands with his, then used the other to ruffle his chocolaty neck fur, allowing the water to wash it out.

The canine licked up the chocolate that dribbled down her neck, making sounds of enjoyment. His eager tongue moved to her shoulder, tasting the sweet, salty flavor of her skin mixed with chocolate. "You taste good…"

"Haha, same to you." She was still able to swipe smears of chocolate from him that hadn't been terribly diluted by the water. "The chocolate was a good idea. Maybe not the application method, but it has potential…" She got one more lick of it before she gave up the battle. "Sadly, I think it needs to come off you now." The faerie raised both hands to run them around his ears to get out more of the chocolate.

Blaze responded in kind. His fingers ran through her thick hair, making sure he got every bit of chocolate from it, giving her the occasional affectionate lick or kiss on the face. Once that was done, and seeing that her skin was well rinsed off, his paws went to her cheeks, caressing them gently as he gazed adoringly at her.

It took her longer for her to get his fur unsticky, considering he had a lot of it, but it was too fun to complain. And she savored the feel of his gentle, caring fingers and furry paws against her scalp and skin. When she was fairly certain she had gotten most of it out, she ran her fingers through his clean, wet fur for the simple joy of it and kissed him, slowly.

Blaze moaned softly through the kiss, his fingers running through her hair again, and he pressed up against the faerie, his body heating up. The lupe slowly parted his jaws, his tongue slipping between them and prodding her lips, wanting access into her mouth.

Fingers curling into his thick chest fur, the faerie leaned into him, head tipped back so she could kiss him. Her lips parted at the touch of his long tongue, her breath coming in short, deep breaths as she kneaded his decadent fur between her fingers.

He snaked his tongue into the faerie's mouth. He could still pick up the flavor of chocolate as his tongue explored along her teeth, cheeks, roof, and her own tongue, learning the various textures.

The faerie shivered, the feel of his canine tongue rasping over the sensitive roof of her mouth shooting straight down her spine and making her arch into him, her hands slipping down to grasp the sides of his waist as she pushed until he was against the wall of the shower, the water spilling down her back.

The lupe pressed his pelvis against hers, his member slipping from its sheath and swelling as his arousal was peaking. He moved his tongue in the faerie's mouth more vigorously, and applied more pressure into the kiss, his moans becoming more frequent.

Ducking her head briefly, she bit her lip on a moan and pressed against him, nails scratching in his deep fur. She drew in deep breaths, and went back to kissing him, her tongue taking up its own exploration along the roof of his long mouth and uneven teeth. Her hand slid down along his thigh, settling over his rump beside the base of his tail.

The warm, silky surface of the faerie's tongue made Blaze shudder pleasurably and his tongue went still as hers ventured into his mouth. More shudders followed along with the additional sensations when the Soup Faerie's fingers coasted down his thigh and rump, his lower body moving with them on their own, and his hands left her hair to explore her body.

He responded so easily to her, without reservation, that she felt completely comfortable with him, and that kind of security was the most basic aphrodisiac for the faerie. She shadowed his slight, involuntary movement, pulling herself against him with her palm against him. Her small tongue tucked into the sensitive area of his palette behind his front teeth, and slipped her other hand down to the other side of his rear, leaning completely on him as he was braced against the shower wall.

Blaze moaned again, encouraging her. His paws continued exploring until one stopped at one of her wings, and he proceeded to tenderly trace his fingers over it, while his other journeyed down her spine and over her right cheek.

The Soup Faerie's wings twitched, after lying nearly forgotten and dormant. She couldn't help a gasp and she buried her nose in the wet fur of his throat, and the smooth glide down her back and bottom made her tip her hips into him, shaking as she strained against him with a kind of frustrated desperation.

The lupe felt the faerie's hips tilt to him and he let out a whimper, trying to position himself while she had him pinned helplessly against the wall of the shower. He nuzzled her and the paw he placed on her rear slipped down between her legs, giving her the signal to part them.

His hand dipping down the backs of her thighs had her rearing against him, her hands braced on his shoulders as she shifted and spread her legs, standing on tiptoe with one foot as she lifted one knee and tucked her foot behind his thigh, trying to compensate for their height differences.

He moved his hand up her thigh and held it there as his other arm furled around her waist, lifting up the faerie slightly. The head of his throbbing member prodded her outer lips until it found her entrance, and he carefully inserted it. He moved his hips up slowly, not wanting to hurt her, moaning as he maneuvered.

Biting her lip, the Soup Faerie moaned, eyes shut to keep herself from being overcome by the anticipation. She held tight to his shoulders, doing her best to match herself to his position as he held her above him, situating himself against her, taking long enough that she whimpered. He slowly eased in, and she gasped with relief and renewed passion, and she arched in his hold to take more of him in.

The tall canid felt her arch against him, and he slid in until only his knot remained. He held her tighter and nuzzled her cheek passionately, overwhelmed with incredible feelings as he began pumping in and out of the faerie.

Tipping her hips so he had the easiest access, she matched his pace. Her hand stroked his neck, reached up to rub the sweet spot behind his jaw, and she kissed him fervently, slipping her tongue along the roof of his mouth as she tensed her thighs and ground against him with growing urgency.

Blaze moaned louder, the vibrations bouncing off the walls of his mouth, and he touched his tongue to hers, calling its attention. The lupe increased his pace slightly and glided into her with a tad more force, concentrating on keeping control over himself.

The faerie, on the other hand, was intent on making the lupe lose his control. She cupped both hands under his jaw and rubbed her tongue against his, tangling them, and ran the dexterous tip under his tongue, her teeth clicking against his, making her smile. Then her hand dipped suddenly down between them until she was fingering the sensitive bundle of nerves at the base of his knot.

The lupe felt his hips give a hard buck as the faerie's fingers fondled with the sensitive spot on his knot. He felt he was about to go crazy from the overwhelming tingling sensation she caused that flooded his entire body. Losing his control, drowning in the pleasure, the lupe's pace increased greatly, bucking wildly.

Nerve endings deep inside lit up and the Soup Faerie cried out, and she pulled her hand from between them so she could hold on. Her hips bore down as he thrust hard against her, and she felt her core tighten, her body ready to give in to the pleasure in climax.

Blaze's organ began inflating as he was nearing, he gave a few more hard thrusts before his seed fired into her well. He had enough of a grip on himself to prevent his knot from being wedged in, otherwise they would've been attached for a lengthy amount of time. He howled as he climaxed, his body shuddering violently with intense pleasure.

Her breathing was finally slowing when the faerie noticed that the water was getting colder. She stirred against Blaze, her arms twining around him to hold him close, and she ran a line of light kisses from his shoulder to his cheek. "Feeling clean?" she asked with a little self-satisfied smile.

His tongue lolled out from the side of his maw as he panted. Once he caught his breath, he pulled his tongue back into his mouth, and nuzzled against the faerie's shoulder as she trailed a line of sweet kisses upon him. Nodding, he let out a soft, blissful sigh. "Yeah…" He gave her cheek a few kisses. Holding her tight, he then held his face close to hers, gazing endearingly into her eyes.


	18. Caught

Pony: Onward to chapter eighteen!

Disclaimer Dude: Yeah… sure.

Pony: Onward to the disclaiming!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Eighteen: Caught_

The Soup Faerie grinned at Blaze, enjoying his forthright emotions. She would never have to worry about figuring out what he thought - she knew it would always be right there on his face for the world to see. Reluctant but resolved, she pulled away from him, and despite the warm water, was much colder. She reached over and turned the handle to stop the shower, then leaned out to grab one of the fluffy white towels off the rack, and reach up with it to ruffle the lupe's cheek fur.

Instinct kicking in and unable to stop it, the lupe shook himself, thousands of droplets of water flying in all directions from his fur. When he did stop, he looked like a bristling red cactus, fur sticking out like needles.

"Eek!" Ducking, the faerie held the towel up as a shield against the water flying off of his fur. It was sopping wet in moments, and she lowered the towel to give him a perturbed look. With a shake of her head, she got out of the shower and got herself another towel. "Have it your way, then."

"Er… sorry, Soupy. I… couldn't help it," he apologized with a sheepish smile, and stepped out of the shower.

"We may have to train that one out of you, if possible. I don't know if my bathroom can take much more of that." A majority of the surfaces in the bathroom were splattered with water droplets. After briskly toweling herself off, the faerie wrapped the towel around herself and headed out into her bedroom.

Blaze took another towel from the rack and wiped off the wet surfaces that had been splashed with water. Finding the towel still quite dry after completing the task, he used it to further dry himself off. His fur was still mildly damp and ruffled as he exited the bathroom, closing the door behind him. The fluffed lupe's eyes went straight to the faerie and he beamed happily at her.

A small hand went to the faerie's mouth as she covered a grin. But she couldn't hold it long, and was soon giggling girlishly at the very fluffy lupe, who looked like he had an accident with an electrical socket. Unable to help herself, she went over to him and patted his shoulder, finding the fur a little damp and springy and not in the mood to go back to its silky, smooth state. "You're so cute." She rubbed her cheek on his fluffy shoulder.

The lupe's tail wagged like crazy at the faerie's giggling. But then, his ears bashfully rotated sideways at her comment, and curled his arms around her torso. "Y-you're c-cuter," he stuttered, and he nuzzled her head.

"No, one who saw you like this would agree." His whole body shook a little with his wagging, and the Soup Faerie felt that warm, fuzzy feeling well up all over again in her chest. She leaned up, tugging gently on the tall canine's ear to pull his head down so she could kiss him, using the other hand to hold her towel, which was slipping dangerously.

Blaze grinned goofily, lowering his head the instant she tugged on his ear, touching his furry lips to hers in a tender, sweet kiss. The glowing warmth in his chest intensified with each passing second his mouth remained on hers. His hold on her tightened, pulling her closer to him.

A happy little noise escaped from the faerie, something like a huff of laughter and a purr, and she kissed him back. The peculiar experience of kissing a lupe wasn't so weird anymore, now that she had worked it out. The towel gave up the fight with gravity and slipped down to pool at her waist, held there because she was flat against Blaze.

The lupe growled playfully, enjoying the plush softness of the faerie's torso against his fur. His paws climbed up her back, running over her filmy wings and tracing the webbing of nerves.

Momentarily caught in a breathless shiver, the Soup Faerie closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, his feathery touch on her wings making her entire body feel at once sensual and utterly comforted. Her eyes opened half way, and she touched her nose to his in a little Eskimo kiss.

When there was a knock behind them and the door was shoved open half a second later, the pair had no time to react. "Soup Faerie, we have a prob…" there was a telling pause, "lem."

Blaze's ears perked and his head whipped into the direction of the new voice. His eyes widened and he stood frozen as panic pulsed through his body, knowing they had been caught.

The Soup Faerie went completely still, and felt herself go hot in embarrassment first, then utterly cold in fear as she realized what their predicament revealed. She turned to see a red usul standing in the doorway, looking like she had been smacked in the face. In an uncoordinated rush, the faerie slipped around until she was behind Blaze, whisking the towel back up and tucking it around herself. But, if there was one thing she could do, it was handle a stressful situation. Sounding far more calm than she was, she said, "Would you give us a moment, please?"

"Ummm… s-sure…" said the usul as she continued to stare, hardly believing what she was seeing. She never thought that anything like this would ever happen, but there it was: a faerie and a neopet… together. She turned on her heel and closed the door behind her.

Blaze swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to the faerie, fear inscribed deeply in his expression. "Well… I guess… it's only a matter of time before word of our relationship is out."

She nodded mutely. Not much could spread gossip with the same efficiency as a usul. Reminding herself to be calm, she went over to the door and turned the lock, just in case. She paused beside the door to listen, but there wasn't much noise on the other side. Dinner hour was in full swing out there. "We should be out there helping. Willifer is going to wonder if we drowned…" But she couldn't make herself get dressed. She wrapped her arms around herself, worried.

The red canid was silent for a moment, then he went up to the faerie and furled his arms around her in a comforting manner. "… Soupy… I'm staying by you no matter what happens… I love you… I have ever since I first laid my eyes on you… you turned my life around and I owe it to you… even if I didn't… I would still be here."

"You know they're going to… no one is going to understand this. A few might not care, but most will think this is wrong. Very bad things may happen. I know you would never leave me to face it, but you getting hurt will hurt me even more." Her voice was flat, almost unemotional, and she felt numb, but she lifted her hands to cling to Blaze like a lifeline.

He felt his heart sting, and he held the faerie, running a soothing paw over her hair. "I won't let anyone hurt me, or you," he whispered softly into her ear, and kissed her temple.

Her chest started to hurt, the effervescent feeling of joy from moments before hollowed out of her by sadness. "You can't guarantee that." She swallowed, and her eyes stung, and a tear fell onto the fur of Blaze's arm. Her diaphragm contracted so hard it hurt, and she took a deep breath. "We really gotta go help with the soup."

Blaze sighed heavily and nodded. "Okay." And he let go of the Soup Faerie, freeing her so she would be able to get dressed.

The Soup Faerie tried not to be entirely fatalistic, but was losing the battle with her practical and somewhat pessimistic nature. Her relationship with Blaze had to get out someday, she knew. It was just so soon. She dressed quickly in clean clothes and forced herself to act normal, though she wanted to slink out into the main room like a mouse.

The lupe took in another deep breath and followed suit, trying his best to appear casual. He was tense and very nervous, unsure of what to anticipate when he and the Soup Faerie would make their arrival. Would the pets be quiet and withdrawn? Would they not care? Or would there be a sudden outcry?

The Soup Faerie was greeted by a whole lot of uncomfortable silence when she opened her door and stepped into the main room. Many of the pets did her the dubious courtesy of pretending they weren't suddenly paying close attention to her. Many stared outright. Willifer and Opal looked resigned and sympathetic. The faerie smiled her most casual smile and went over to Willifer to start dishing out soup.

"So…" Willifer began, attempting to start up a conversation to block out the uneasy atmosphere. "I see Blaze is all clean now."

"Yes, very clean," Opal nodded in agreement, following the elephante's example instantaneously.

'_Oh, fudge.'_ At the mention of Blaze's cleanliness, the faerie absolutely could not keep herself from blushing. Her mouth went a little dry with nerves. "Yep," she answered as cheerfully as possible. "He had syrup all over. We had to scrub to get it out."

Blaze felt his face flush as well, and he ran a paw over the thick fur behind his neck nervously. "Y-yeah… who knew chocolate syrup could so hard to get out?"

If possible, the silence grew even more pronounced, broken only by a little snicker from the children, who were doing fairly well at ladling out bowls of soup. One or two of the pets cleared their throats, and a few brought their bowls silently up to place them in front of Opal before leaving. This seemed to be the signal for most of the pets to leave, because all of the pets trickled forward to turn in their bowls and go.

A multitude of neopets bustled through the front doorway as their empty bowls were deposited on the table where the faerie wocky sat and collected - most likely to spread the news. Once the last of the customers left, Minga piped up, "Why was evewrywun sew qwiet?"

"Um, I-I guess they ran out of things to talk about…?" Blaze suggested uneasily.

"They're probably busy and needed to get home. It's the end of dinner anyway." The Soup Faerie started stacking bowls beside the sink. "Which, now that I think of it, is probably what you guys should be doing. You've had a long day - your owners must miss you."

"Yes, you better get home and do your homework," Opal added on with a cheerful, yet playful scold, resulting in a chorus of 'aaawww's. Flamo, Minga, and Daisy said their goodbye's and scampered out the door.

Willifer stretched, his joints popping as he did so. "I suppose Opal and I should be going too."

The faerie was sorry to see them go, especially Willifer, who had been a friend for years and who was a comfort. But she simply smiled and nodded. "Have a good night, you two. Stay out of trouble."

"Well, I can't promise I'll stay out of trouble," Willifer chuckled out of an attempted to lift the mood, and out of just being himself.

Blaze let out a huff of laughter. "Have a good night, then."

Once the two were out the door, the Soup Faerie locked up. She scooped up Zeek off the floor, and he giggled while she squeezed him tight. "That's not going to be the end of it," she said quietly.

The lupe nodded solemnly. "No, it's not…" He lifted a paw and softly stroked the sleepy kacheek's head a few times. "Let's get this little guy to bed."

The Soup Faerie nodded and headed into her bedroom. "I'm surprised he's holding out so well. I guess we've been doing a good job of distracting him."

Blaze nodded, following the faerie. "I hope he's not bottling it up inside, though." He opened the chest to retrieve an extra blanket and pillow while she held the kacheek.

Rocking him slowly back and forth, the faerie sat down on the edge of the bed. "I never did ask… are we planning to keep him?"

He closed the chest, blanket and pillow in his arms, and sat beside the Soup Faerie. "Can we?" He gazed into her eyes, hoping that they would keep the little kacheek. He already thought of him as a son.

The Soup Faerie suppressed a groan. She could see herself giving in to those puppy eyes for the rest of their lives. "Yes, we can keep him. You were practically made to be a father - I'm not going to mess with fate on this one."

Blaze held back the urge to let out a joyful "yes". So, he settled for a big grin and wrapped an arm around the faerie's shoulders, licking her cheek. "Thank you…"

The faerie pushed him away with a smile, "What, did you really think I was going to make you give him to the pound?"

He chuckled softly, wrapping his tail around her waist. "No. You're too kindhearted."

"Yep. Like a sugar cube. I'd melt in the rain," she joked, and kissed Blaze on the cheek. "Now, where are we tucking him in at? I'm not very well prepared for a child. We may have to buy a bed for him. Or build a room if we ever want privacy again…"

He nuzzled her as she kissed his cheek. "Well… this is the only bed… so I'm not sure unless he could sleep with us until we have a bed for him."

"I hope I don't roll over in my sleep." She pulled back the covers on the bed and laid Zeek in the middle, then pulled them up to his chin. She reached for the blanket Blaze had gotten and tucked it around him as well, then went to get dressed for bed.

Blaze pulled his own comforter over himself and settled down on the mattress next to the sleeping child. He watched the kacheek, and he felt his heart melt when he shuffled over and nuzzled into his fur.

With a pink nightgown on and hair brushed, the Soup Faerie went over to the bed and watched Blaze and Zeek with a warm smile, thinking that the pair of them couldn't be any cuter. She got under the covers as carefully as possible to keep from jostling the child, and lay on her side to stroke a hand down Zeek's little back.

Blaze lowered his head to softly nuzzle the kacheek's head before giving it a lick, being careful not to rouse him. He lifted his eyes to the faerie's, his expression conveying his affection for both the little child and for her.

Her cheeks pinkened with pleasure as he gave her the same look of devoted affection, and she leaned up on and elbow to kiss the top of his nose and touch her forehead to his. "Good night, love."

He felt his face grow hot and his heart fluttered. "G-good night, honey." The lupe removed his forehead from hers to place his lips to hers, kissing her softly.

Kissing him back, she smoothed a hand over the fur of his cheek. Then she eased back down on the bed and tucked herself around Zeek and closed her eyes.

Head still spinning and heart still throbbing, he drew away when the faerie did, his head sinking into the fluffy pillow below him as he proceeded to fall asleep.


	19. Trouble Arises

Pony: Here's another chapter! Disclaim, Disclaimer Dude!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

_**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**_

_Chapter Nineteen: Trouble Arises_

Yet another early morning began for the Soup Faerie, but in a way that it never had before.

"Miss Soup Faerie, I'm huuuungry." She opened her eyes to see a very young kacheek nose hovering in front of her face, with a pair of pleading eyes above it. She blinked, wondering how he had gotten inside when she hadn't opened the front door to customers yet.

"Come on, Zeek, I'll fix you breakfast," said Blaze as he plucked the green kacheek off of the drowsy faerie. "What would you like?"

The Soup Faerie blinked again, only a third of the way awake. Instead of trying to wake up further and sort things out, she rolled over and pulled the covers over her head.

"Let's let her sleep," said the lupe, scooting off the bed and heading out the bedroom door, carrying Zeek into the direction of the kitchen. "Okay, what should we have for breakfast?"

Zeek was mussed up from his sleep, green fur sticking up in odd directions, and he looked a little dozy still, but a young child's hunger isn't curbed by something as unimportant as sleep. "Cookies," he said, rubbing an eye with one paw.

Blaze raised a brow, "Cookies? I don't think that's a healthy breakfast food… How about I make pancakes with chocolate chips?" he suggested, hoping it sounded appealing to the child.

The little kacheek nodded immediately, the idea of spiking pancakes with chocolate chips like a dream come true. "I'll stir!" he volunteered, already climbing up on the table.

The red lupe laughed, "All right, then." He gathered the needed ingredients for the pancakes, dropping them into a large bowl one by one. Then he handed a wooden spoon to Zeek once the contents within the bowl were ready to be mixed. "There you go, buddy. Stir it up good."

Zeek stuck his tongue out one side of his mouth and attacked the bowl with the spoon like he needed to beat it into submission, alternately nearly falling into it and knocking it over, and catching it just in time.

Blaze smiled contently as he watched the kacheek stir the batter, then his eyes went to the cauldron. The soup needed to be made, and figured he could get it started for the Soup Faerie. She could always add her own touch to it when arrived into the kitchen if it needed it. The lupe cleaned and began to cut up a pile of vegetables after pouring water into the giant pot.

When the Soup Faerie stumbled into the room looking less than ready for the morning, but dressed and freshly washed, she found Zeek splattered in pancake batter, sneaking a hand into the bag of chocolate chips. She let him take one before swiping the bag and setting it on the counter farther away from him. Then she went over to Blaze and hugged him from behind, laying her head on his broad back.

A wide grin spread across the lupe's maw as the faerie wrapped her arms around him. He stopped in the middle of chopping a carrot and turned his head to look back at her. "Good morning, Soupy."

She was nearly asleep again, and half nodded to him in response before sighing softly.

Zeek came over, dragging spoon and bowl, leaving a trail of batter skid marks along the tabletop. He stage whispered, "Is she asleep again?"

Blaze glanced at the faerie consideringly from the corner of his eye. "She might be." He set the knife down and turned his body slowly to make sure if she was asleep again, prepared to catch her if she were to fall over in the process in case she was.

She was just awake enough that she leaned away as he turned, then snuggled into his arms. "How are you two so chipper already?" she groused. "Mornings are for sleeping."

Blaze chuckled, sliding his arms around the faerie. "Nights are for sleeping, honey." He chuckled again and nuzzled the top of her head with his nose.

"Lies and calumny." She lifted her head and touched noses with him. Giving one more huff of resignation to her non-sleeping state, she pulled away, straightening her apron. "Okay. Soup. Goodness, Zeek, what is it you've been painting my table with?"

"Breakfast," the green kacheek replied, happily presenting the bowl of batter. "We're making chocolate chip pancakes!"

"Yeah, and I started the soup… as you can see," the canine added, looking over at the cauldron containing the boiling water, and back at the pile of vegetables.

"I see." She gingerly took the sticky bowl away from Zeek. "Well, I'll work on the pancakes then, since you've got this covered." She gave the lupe a peck on the cheek and went over to the stove to find a griddle.

He nodded, his shoulders dropping as his body turned to jelly upon receiving the peck on the cheek. He quickly straightened up and resumed cutting the vegetables. "O-okay then." Once the canid tossed all the ingredients the soup's recipe called for, his nose picked up a particular scent from the thousands he could detect within the Soup Kitchen. The smell led him across the kitchen, to one of the shelves, and to a bottle of garlic powder. Deciding to abide by the strange entity in his head that compelled him to add to the soup, he took the bottle from the shelf and went back to the cauldron, mixing a few dashes of the seasoning into the pot. Then, he was led to another set of shelves once his nose picked up another smell.

Mixing a little more batter to make up for what had ended up on the table and Zeek, the Soup Faerie got the pan heated and poured the first couple dollops of batter to start cooking when she smelled garlic and looked up with a raised brow at Blaze. "What are you making, hun?"

Blaze went still as he added another few dashes of a different spice. He blinked as his eyes went from the soup, to the bottle he held in his paw, then to the Soup Faerie. "I… I don't know."

Her eyes went wide, and she laughed. "That's not a good answer." She left the bowl of batter on the counter and approached the cauldron and took the soup spoon from the lupe. Dipping it, she took a small taste… and looked up at him with a curious expression. "Are you sure you don't know what you're doing?"

"Eh… not really," he replied, his ears drooping with embarrassment. "Um, remember when I put cinnamon sugar and vanilla extract in the pancakes yesterday? Well… what ever told me to do that then… is telling me to do… what I'm doing now."

"Hm. You've been hiding something from me." She waved the spoon at him and then gave it back. "What ever you're doing, keep doing it. That's some really good stew you're making." She went back to the pancakes in time to flip them.

Blaze beamed, reveling in the compliment before resuming what he was doing. He wondered for a moment why the Soup Faerie had called his concoction stew instead of soup. _'I guess it should be classified as a stew… Maybe it's too thick to be called soup,'_ he thought as he swirled the wooden spoon through the thick mixture. He soon added more seasonings to the pot, mixing them with the carrots, beans, potatoes, and tomatoes. When his nose was no longer in the mood to pick up any more particular scents, he pulled the spoon out of the stew. "Um, I think it's done."

The faerie finished piling the pancakes on a plate and set the empty bowl in the sink. On her way over to the cauldron, she grabbed the child in time to keep him from sneaking more chocolate chips from the bag's new location. She took the spoon from Blaze and tasted, then gave a little to Zeek. "Watcha think?"

The little kacheek tasted the tiny amount in his mouth and considered, a smile appearing on his face. "I like it!"

Blaze ran a paw over an ear, his tail wagging at the child's approval. He looked to the faerie, waiting to see what she thought of it now that it had several more ingredients added to it.

The Soup Faerie smiled at him and rubbed the top of his head - having to flap her wings to reach - and agreed with Zeek, "Yep, that's what I thought. We may just have to make Blaze the new soup faerie."

He blushed under his fur, his ears drooping even more than before. "Aw, come on… I-I'm sure you could make it a lot better, even if I… don't remember what I put in it and… didn't write it down…"

She hugged him around the neck, and Zeek protested that he couldn't breathe so she eased back. "That's how the good cooks cook." She dropped back to the floor and went to retrieve the pancakes. "Now it's time for the chef to have breakfast." She set down the plates while the kacheek got silverware.

"They sure do smell good." He sat down at the table, away from the side that had been smeared with the batter. "Looks like me and Zeek have a mess to clean up after breakfast."

The kacheek nodded, jumping up and pulling himself onto his chosen seat, eager to begin eating. "I'm good at scrubbing."

The Soup Faerie patted him on the head as she set everything else down and took her seat. "You're good at a lot of things." She dished out pancakes to each of them, then grabbed the bottle of maple syrup and slathered some on hers before passing it to Blaze. "You have school today, right, Zeek?"

The little kid nodded, reaching his little arms out for the syrup as Blaze set the bottle above his plate, unfortunately, his limbs weren't long enough. "Yeah, yesterday was a no school day. Can I have some syrup? Pleeeaaase?"

Blaze had momentarily forgotten that the kacheek's arms weren't long enough to reach over his plate and he pushed the bottle around his plate in the child's reach. Zeek thanked him and proceeded to pour a thick layer of syrup on his pancakes.

After breakfast, Blaze and Zeek cleaned the batter off the table once the sticky kacheek's face and paws were thoroughly washed and dried off. The lupe smoothed the child's fur into place and he was ready for school.

"I'll be back in a bit. Don't go getting kidnapped again," the red lupe joked as he went out the door to escort the child to school.

The Soup Faerie waved them out, sticking her tongue out playfully at him. "Of course not." She stood in the doorway to see them off, and wondering why no one was lined up there yet. Usually there were pets there at that time, waiting to be fed. Shrugging it off, she went back inside to clear the dishes.

Blaze returned earlier than it had taken him a couple of days ago. He burst through the door and whirled around to slam it shut, and he leaned his back against it, panting heavily. His thick fur was covered with bits of tomato, sticky egg, and eggshells.

The faerie was in the other room gathering clothes to do laundry when she heard the door thrown open and slammed shut again, and dropped the clothes to rush into the other room. Her hand went to cover her mouth as she saw Blaze, and she walked over to him. "What happened?"

"We… got… an angry… crowd out… out there…" he panted, his chest heaving as he was attempting to catch his breath.

"An angry crowd? What, like a mob? It was empty out there when you guys left…" Outrage grew and bloomed in her chest, and she stalked over to the door. "How dare they? They have _no right_ to… to…" She paused as her rage made her inarticulate.

"Soupy, calm down," Blaze soothed, his breath caught. He was about to hug her, but reminded himself that his fur was soiled.

She stopped herself just before throwing the door open, realizing that she couldn't really do anything about it. She turned and put her back to the door, sympathy filling her eyes as she looked at Blaze. "Oh, honey, let's get you cleaned up."

Blaze nodded, and turned, walking into the direction of the bathroom in the faerie's bedroom. He stepped into the shower, tab squeaking as he turned them, releasing the warm water. He ran his fingers through his thick and sticky fur as the water soaked him, trying to loosen the fur that had already been hardened in unattractive chunks.

Noticing that the rack had no more towels, she went to get the lupe one of the fresh ones from the laundry and laid it on the counter beside the sink as he stepped into the shower and scrubbed his fur. She finished gathering the dirty clothes into a clothes hamper and came back in time for him to finish.

The lupe turned off the water and shook himself, then dried off his clean fur off further after stepping out of the shower. He then left the bathroom, fur free from the filth that had covered him and fluffed up as he was the previous evening.

The faerie smiled though she was worried, and went to run her hands through his fluffy fur. "You are so cute like that." He was still damp from the shower, but clean and warm, and she leaned in for a hug. "So what do we do about them? What do they want?"

Blaze slid his arms around the faerie in an embrace. "They… don't want us to be together. And I'm sure as anything not gonna do what they say." He touched his nose to her forehead, then licked it.

She frowned. "What do they think they're going to do about it? Throw us in jail? Kill us? They should just mind their own business."

He nodded, tightening his hug. "There's nothing they can do to stop us. They'll learn that eventually. Hopefully soon."

The faerie privately doubted that things would get better - there was plenty of bad an angry bunch of neopets could do to them. But she kept that to herself. Pulling away from Blaze, she walked over to the window beside the front door and threw it open to address the pets outside. "If any of you are here for food, you can come in."

An aged elephante accompanied by a faerie wocky pushed their way through a few the crowd of outraged pets, intent on getting to the door. From behind the pair came the youngsters, who looked highly confused of the hubbub.

With a small sigh of gratitude, the faerie flew to the door and pushed it open for her friends, watching closely to make sure no one else with ulterior motives followed them in before shutting it on their angry shouts.

"What's going on?" Flamo asked, voicing the children's curiosity.

Willifer and Opal sighed to themselves, and glanced down at the little ones as the wocky kneeled to the shoyru's level. "It's complicated, dear."

The Soup Faerie was willing to let the wocky explain, since she had the most experience in dealing with children. "Blaze made some excellent stew if anyone hasn't had breakfast," she offered. Work was her grounding when she was anxious.

Willifer and Opal shifted their attention to the faerie and the lupe, smiles replacing their worried frowns. "Did he?" said the elephante. "Guess I'll have to try some of that."

"But why is everyone outside so mad?" Daisy queried, grabbing the wocky's attention to the matter again.

Opal's face turned sympathetic and serious as she began explaining, "Well… Soup Faerie and Blaze are… a couple." She noticed the semi-confused faces and attempted to make her explanation more clear to their young minds, "They love each other very much and… those angry folks outside don't think it's right."

"But why?" Minga asked, peeking from behind the Soup Faerie's leg.

The faerie leaned down to pat the bruce's head, and she let go of her leg to grab her hand, so she picked her up. "I'm a faerie, and Blaze is a lupe. We're not the same."

"But… that's nawt faiwr," said the pink bruce, her face scrunching up in a frown.

"I know, but… that's the way it is," said Blaze, reaching an arm over the faerie's shoulders. "Hopefully this will all pass soon."

The Soup Faerie shared a serious look with Willifer, both of them thinking that it wouldn't just blow over - something would be done about it. Things would get worse before they got better. But she slipped an arm around Blaze's waist and held him close. "You guys need to be careful coming over here from now on."

The brown elephante waved it off. "Bah! Just let 'em try anything," he said, putting up his paws as if he were about to punch someone. "A couple 'o swings from a former Battledome champ should teach those whippersnappers not to mess with me."

The Soup Faerie smiled and shook her head at the elephante as he put up a fierce act. She patted Blaze on the back and handed him Minga, then went over to the cauldron to dish out stew.

The kids, however, stared at Willifer with newfound respect. "You fought in the Battledome?" Flamo asked.

"I sure did," Willifer beamed, his eyes gleaming with pride. "I was an unstoppable force back in my prime. I was known as the 'Immovable Object' cause no one could knock me over no matter how many times I was hit."

"Wreawlly?" piped Minga, clambering down from Blaze's arms.

"That's so cool," Daisy interjected.

Flamo puffed up his chest. "I'm gonna be in the Battledome when I get older."

The faerie set bowls out on the table as she said, "And you'll be known as the 'Unstoppable Force'."

"Yeah!" the shoyru agreed.

"No one will be able to beat you." Blaze reached down to give the child a playful noogie.

Willifer laughed softly. "It takes a lot of hard work to be a Battledome champion."

The lupe nodded, "And eating a lot of vegetables."

There was a chorus of instant denial from the children, and Flamo looked considerably crestfallen.

"Who wants stew?" the faerie asked in the middle of the sad exclamations, and the sorrow turned to a mad rush to the table as the kids jockeyed for position.

Laughter erupted from the lupe and aged couple as the children crowded the faerie for a bowl of hot stew. Blaze's laughing subsided to a chuckle and he turned to the elderly Neopians with a polite gesture, "After you two."

"Thank you, young man." Opal smiled softly, curling an arm around Willifer's as they joined the children in waiting.

"I like that young fella. He respects his elders," the elephante smirked, watching the faerie dish out the stew.

"He's just afraid of your reputation. No one would interfere with an ex-Battledome champ." The faerie grinned at him and pushed two bowls of stew over to him and Opal, then sat and patted the seat next to her for Blaze.

Blaze approached the table, sitting himself in the space next to the Soup Faerie, smiling widely at her. "Yeah, I'm terrified," he said, going along with her banter.

"Well, you no longer need to be afraid, dear," the wocky snickered, tugging gently on one of Willifer's floppy ears, "I've broken him down to a gentle giant."

The Soup Faerie shook her head sadly at the elephante. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen." But she smiled, and gave Opal a thumbs-up. "Good job."

"Thank you, dear. It was a tough job, but it had to be done eventually," Opal smirked and tugged on Willifer's ear again.

The children were gobbling up their stew as if they hadn't had a bite to eat in days. Blaze smiled at their pleased expressions. "Careful, guys. Don't eat too fast."

The faerie turned to look at them curiously. "Hey, don't you guys have school too?"

"School is closed. Teachers aren't there," said Daisy between bites.

"Apparently a large portion of the faculty decided to join the uproar," Opal grumbled in great disappointment.

The Soup Faerie blinked in surprised, then turned to Blaze. "Zeek's at school. If the teachers aren't there, and most of the students didn't go, we need to get him."

"I guess we better." The lupe slid off of his chair and pulled out the faerie's for her. He wasn't looking forward to facing what ever angry crowd that may be lurking around the school, but it was necessary if they were to pick up the little kacheek.


	20. Trouble Escalates

Pony: Whoo! We're on chapter twenty!

Disclaimer Dude: I honestly didn't think you'd make it pass ten chapters.

Pony: This is double that, foo!

Disclaimer Dude: … Yeah… it is… Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Twenty: Trouble Escalates_

"You guys make sure no one gets in, and be extra careful if you have to go out," the faerie said to Willifer, Opal, and the children. "We'll be back as soon as we can." She went over to Blaze, put an arm around his waist, and magic welled out of her to surround them both and transport them to the front of the school.

The lupe looked around, the entire area was crowded with livid teachers and parents, some passing out picket signs for an obvious incoming protest against his relationship with the Soup Faerie. He scanned the area more carefully, eager to spot Zeek out of the clusters of pets before they themselves would be spotted.

The Soup Faerie looked around with obvious anger. "This is ridiculous," she muttered. "I knew people would be upset, but making kids miss school? Absurd. They're acting like this is the end of the world."

"I didn't think it would be this bad," he whispered to the faerie, not wanting to draw attention. When he finally found the familiar little green kacheek, he nudged her and gestured into Zeek's direction. "There he is. Let's get him and leave."

The faerie nodded and marched into that direction, ignoring the crowd, which was starting to notice that there was a faerie among them… and not just any faerie. When she noticed the group of adults surrounding the little kacheek, she ignored them, but they saw her before she reached Zeek and stepped in front of him.

Blaze looked scornfully at the adults who blocked them from the child. "Excuse us, we came for our child."

A starry ogrin picked up Zeek, who was growing increasingly nervous of the situation. "He isn't your child. Thank God for that." The ogrin spat on the ground, and a stern-looking aisha with glasses nodded.

"He's going into protective custody so you two can't get your filthy paws on him anymore."

The lupe's eyes narrowed and his lips curled back in a snarl as he attempted to push aside the adults in front of him. A few more neopets assisted to hold back the large lupe. He became more aggressive, sending one of them to the ground with a forceful shove. Several more were upon him, pulling his fur, tail, ears, what ever they could get their paws on.

The faerie hung back for a moment, but the violence escalated, and she lunged forward, shouting for Blaze to stop. "We aren't here to hurt anyone!" she yelled, trying to push forward to the lupe.

He was determined to get to Zeek, and he thrashed about to free himself from those who were holding him back. A purple skeith growled, slamming his fist into the lupe's nose. Even more Neopians pushed forth to get to him. A furious pink lenny delivered a hard peck to his head and a green krawk swiped at him with his claws, managing to remove a few hairs from his body.

Zeek's eyes widened at what was taking place before him and he began to struggle against the ogrin's hold. "Lemme go, please!"

The Soup Faerie ground her teeth in frustration, unused to being ignored so thoroughly. She couldn't get any closer to Blaze or Zeek, and the crowd was becoming more and more enraged, to the point where she was getting shoved and clipped by elbows as she tried to fight through. She couldn't even get enough room to flap her wings and take off.

The red lupe let out a shrill yelp as a handful of fur was torn out of the crest of his neck. He growled and flailed against the furious Neopians.

The little kacheek was becoming more frightened as he heard the lupe yelp. He was unable to see what was happening, several layers of pets were blocking his view. He began crying, hoping Blaze or the Soup Faerie would get to him.

The Soup Faerie ceased her attempt to push forward, and tried to go back instead to get some space to think and breathe, but the crowd wouldn't let her move in either direction, and Blaze cried out, causing her heart to skip. She caught glimpses of Zeek's confused, frightened face through the mob. Pink power licked up her arms and over her clenched fists like fire. "Fyora!" she screamed, power surging in a white-hot flare, making several of the pets around her take a step back in surprised fear. And though she didn't talk to her sisters much, a faerie's call holds certain unailiable power. The Faerie Queen appeared in moments, lavender light flooding the area around her.

The uproar suddenly came to a halt at the presence of the powerful Faerie Queen. They all stared in stunned silence at the radiance of Fyora, including the pets piled on top of Blaze; the quiggle who had been yanking on his ears still kept a firm grip on them even though he had ceased pulling. Zeek sniffled quietly, his urge to continue crying had been overwhelmed.

With everyone standing stupefied before her powerful sister, the Soup Faerie was able to acquire room to fly, and she took off toward the pile of pets sitting on Blaze. "Your Majesty," she said loudly - even a sister didn't address the Faerie Queen on familiar terms - and began pushing pets off of the lupe. "Would you help me keep this from getting more violent so we can resolve the matter without bloodshed?" she asked, with pointed looks at the mob around her.

The Faerie Queen fluttered forth, Neopians stepping back to give her more room. She hovered in place before her younger sister and the large lupe, who wiped a trickle of blood from his nose. "What is the matter, dear?"

The stern aisha that had been encountered with earlier pushed forward until she was standing just in front of the Soup Faerie. The blue pet adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat imperiously. "The Soup Faerie is involved in inappropriate relations with that mutated lupe," she intoned, waving a hand back at Blaze, "and we are removing a child from their care who would have been grossly influenced by their disgusting actions."

Fyora's brows rose in a clear display of surprise. Her eyes went from her sister, to the lupe, then back to the Soup Faerie. "Well, dear sister? What do you have to say in your defense?"

The Soup Faerie glared down at the back of the aisha's head, wishing terrible things for her and her children. Angry, she lifted her head and grabbed Blaze's hand. "We are a couple," she announced, ignoring the rumble of muttering that came from the crowd, "but that has nothing to do with taking care of Zeek. We certainly didn't frighten him like this crowd is doing."

Blaze figured now was the time to voice his support, and he was understandably nervous to be addressing the queen of all Neopia. "W-we came to take him home, Y-your Majesty. We don't want a-any trouble."

The kacheek glanced up at the ogrin's face, noticing his full attention was averted and he took the opportunity to wriggle free from his grasp. Landing on his feet, he scrambled into the direction of the Soup Faerie and lupe. The ogrin let out a shout when he lost hold of the child, and a few pets tried to grab him, but the kacheek was determined and fought to get away. He eluded them until he had almost reached the Soup Faerie, when he was scooped up by the Faerie Queen herself. She looked down at him, and he stared back, mouth agape.

"He certainly doesn't seem traumatized by my sister's terrible actions…" she murmured, glancing down at the aisha questioningly.

Blaze felt anger boiling up. How could the Soup Faerie's affection toward him be considered terrible? He opened his mouth to speak, far more bolder in speaking to the Faerie Queen, "Your Majesty, all she ever did was love me… when no one else would." He turned his head to the Soup Faerie, the anger covering his face melting into one of great affection, and he leaned his head in to nuzzle her.

"Love," the aisha sneered, settling her glasses further up her nose. "I assure you, Your Majesty, what they have is not simple, platonic love. If it were, we might be able to accept it. But they've gone much farther, if you take my meaning." She sounded like even the words left a bad taste in her mouth.

The Faerie Queen nodded. "If everyone here is opposed, my judgment on the matter won't be sufficient. We will decide this matter in court."

There was an uprising of agreement, and the lupe's hold on his faerie's hand tightened. "C… court? Is that really necessary?"

Zeek winced at the sudden shouting of surrounding neopets. He was confused and frightened. He tipped back his head to look up at the Faerie Queen, his eyes pleading. "C-c-can I go b-back to B-Blaze and m-miss S-Soup Faerie? P-p-please?"

The Faerie Queen looked down at the little kacheek kindly, but shook her head. "I'm afraid not, sweet. The crowd wouldn't have it."

The Soup Faerie nodded, knowing that Zeek would be safer if he weren't near her and Blaze. Still, he was scared and upset already. "Would you take care of him until the trial, sister?" she said, hoping that her sister would grant her the one request. "I would rather he not be taken to the pound."

Fyora offered a nod. "Yes, I shall look after him until then."

The little kid whimpered, glancing back up at the Faerie Queen. "But… I w-wanna go w-with Blaze and m-miss Soup Faerie."

"You'll be fine, Zeek. The Faerie Queen has a wonderful water bed she might let you jump on if you're good." The Soup Faerie smiled beatifically while her sister shot her a regal glare.

"I-I-I don't w-wanna-" the kacheek hiccupped, choking on an incoming sob.

Blaze felt his heart break to see the youngster so frightened and upset. "It'll be okay, buddy. We'll get you back."

"Don't bet on it," the aisha beside them said quietly, readjusting her glasses. "You people are freaks," she continued, raising her voice so the crowd could hear. "We will keep that child free of your influence by any means possible," she finished, to a cheer from the crowd.

The lupe glared at the aisha, his ears pinning to the back of his head. He was used to being labeled such insulting and hurtful names, but calling his beloved by such a word made his blood boil with anger. "You can call me whatever you want, but don't you ever say such rude things about the Soup Faerie."

The blue aisha turned her nose up and gave a small, condescending snort. "Or you'll do what?"

"Just… don't. She might have kept your parents from starving to death," he replied with complete seriousness in his voice. "And we _will_ get our son back."

The aisha sniffed again and turned away from him, saying over her shoulder, "My parents were never plebian riffraff who needed charity from a low-class faerie."

Before anyone, including Blaze, could react to the aisha's haughty words, she was engulfed in lilac magic and lifted high into the air until she hovered in front of the Faerie Queen, noses nearly touching. The aisha's expression was terrified, and Fyora was a picture of royal disdain. "You will wait to express your opinions before a court. And remember: that is my sister you are talking about." With that, the aisha was dropped several feet to the ground before scrambling away through the crowd.

The lupe was about to defend the Soup Faerie, but Fyora had reacted quickly and done it for him. He let out a stressed sigh and touched his nose to the Soup Faerie's cheek.

The Soup Faerie shook her head at the aisha, more annoyed than really angry, and gave her sister a grateful smile. She leaned into Blaze's touch and sighed.

Fyora turned to the assembled crowd and said, "You may all go home now. The trial will be two days from now, held in my audience chamber, for those who would like to attend. Until then, I expect everyone to act like mature adults and stay out of trouble." There was steel in the Faerie Queen's tone - she may have been speaking courteously, but she was very serious.

Blaze curled his arm around the faerie's shoulders while the other paw remained holding onto her hand, not caring if the crowd would start another uproar, and leaned in more, nuzzling her. A worried, puppyish whine escaped his throat as his eyes swiveled back to the kacheek.

The Soup Faerie slipped a hand over the back of his head comfortingly. The uneasy and disgusted looks didn't phase her. "He'll be fine. My sister is the most trustworthy person in Neopia."

"Besides you…" said Blaze as his eyes met with the faerie's. He gave her cheek a lick and touched his nose to hers.

She smiled a small smile and shook her head, scrunching her nose at the cold touch of his. "Nope, she's even more trustworthy. At least she has the power to back up her word."

"I bet you do too, Soupy. You just haven't found it yet," he said, his tongue running over her cheek again.

"You're such a romantic. I've found my magic - it's all wrapped up in making soup. Let's go home before the crowd decides to make trouble."

Most of the pets had broken up and started wandering off toward their respective homes, with only minimal grumbling. Fyora, holding the child close, watched her younger sister and her lupe leave.

Smiling softly, Blaze nodded. Then his ears fell as he was overcome with regret that he hadn't been able to get Zeek.

The Soup Faerie saw his disheartened expression, and rubbed a palm over his cheek fur, then started leading him toward the door of the Soup Kitchen once it came into view. "We'll be fine. Fyora won't let anything bad happen to Zeek, even if we can't have him back."

The lupe nuzzled the faerie's hand as she ran it over his cheek, and he heaved a sigh. "Yeah… I know, but… I was looking forward to having a kid of our own."

Her smile was sad, and she nodded. "We're probably not old enough for kids anyway. We've only been a couple for a few days, after all. We're about to buck the social norms of an entire planet - let's take one challenge at a time."

His eyes went to the faerie's, remaining silent for a few seconds. "All right, honey." The lupe reached for the doorknob, and pulled the door open. "Ladies first."

The faerie chewed her lower lip, knowing Blaze was very disappointed. She loved Zeek, of course, but the lupe became attached so easily… This was going to hurt him far worse than her. She was used to seeing pets coming in day after day, or coming in once and disappearing. She was able to distance herself. She laid her head on his shoulder. If she were a pet, she would promise him a child, but she was fairly certain children were not in their future.

Blaze and the Soup Faerie were greeted by the joyous squealing of the children and they were grappled on to by their legs. The sight brought a smile to the lupe's saddened face. "Hey, guys. So… everything go okay?"

"It got a bit rowdy at first, but things settled down and the protesters moved on," said Opal, handing a bowl of stew to an aisha - the same blue aisha from the breakfast rush on the previous day who had commented on Blaze's advanced stature.

"Good. The Faerie Queen set a court date to settle the issue to everyone's satisfaction, so things should stay quiet until then." The Soup Faerie ran a hand over the head of each of the children, then extricated herself from their grip.

"Cowrt?" Minga piped, all three children gazing up at the faerie in unison.

Willifer and Opal appeared mildly confused as well. "I understand the issue everyone has with your relationship, but where's Zeek?" asked the brown elephante.

"He's staying with Fyora until the court meeting. She'll decide where he'll go then." The faerie sat down. She reached out to touch Minga on the beak playfully. "Court is a big meeting of people to decide whether a person has done something wrong, and what their punishment will be if they did."

"Who got in trouble?" Daisy queried instantaneously.

"Why is Zeek staying with Queen Fyora?" Flamo followed after.

Obviously, the children's minds didn't fall back upon their earlier conversation - kids and their short attention spans.

"Me and miss Soup Faerie got in trouble," Blaze answered, receiving surprised looks from the little ones. "We didn't do anything bad, but all those neopets think we did… and… they don't think we should have Zeek." He hated to tell the young children the hard truth, but it had to be done.

The faerie nodded. "They're afraid we're a bad influence." Privately, she wondered if they were - she was still uncertain herself if she and Blaze were doing the right thing, but it was in the faerie's nature to be concerned about everything.

"That's just downright unacceptable!" Willifer huffed. "They all should just mind their own business and leave well enough alone."

"What's done is done, dear," said Opal, placing her paws on Willifer's arm to calm him down. "Just remember you have our support."

"Me too!" a voice proclaimed. The aisha pushed herself up from her chair, signaling it was her who had spoken up.

The Soup Faerie, smiling at Willifer and Opal, started laughing when the aisha got up to declare her support. "Thank you, we appreciate it. What's your name, anyway? I see you around here every once in a while, but haven't been introduced."

"I'm Laura," the sky blue aisha replied, then gestured to the orange meerca accompanying her, "And this is my friend Tangerine."

"You have my support too," Tangerine squeaked. "They shouldn't have taken Zeek away. Not with how good your lupe mate is with him."

The Soup Faerie's face flushed as she heard Blaze referred to as her mate. '_He is, I suppose. This is going to take some getting used to…_' "Thank you, again. I don't know what you could do to help, but it's appreciated."

"Well… if they can protest, so can we!" Laura exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with newfound resolve and determination. The orange meerca agreed, bouncing up and down repeatedly on her long tail.

The blush went away quickly, but the faerie's eyes widened. "Protest? Wait, you can't do that. It's dangerous."

"Dangerous? How is it dangerous?" Tangerine's bouncing slowed to a stop, her excited expression fading into a nervous one.

"There are too many people who don't like us, and they've already proved to be violent." The faerie set a hand on Blaze's arm. "And the two of you aren't enough to protect yourselves. Your emotional support is plenty."

The aisha and meerca hung their heads in dejection, both voicing an "okay".

Blaze inched closer to the faerie, wrapping an arm around her waist. "She's right. Knowing that others besides the kids, Willifer, and Opal support us, going through with this will make it much easier."

"You guys can sit behind us at the meeting," the Soup Faerie suggested, then smiled at the kids. "You could make signs."

"Okay!" The children perked up, as well as Laura and Tangerine.

"I have lots of markers!" Daisy declared.

Minga began jumping, gaining the attention next. "My daddy has a hammewr and naiwls. He can hewlp us make signs twoo!"

"Oh, boy, what did I start?" the faerie said, giving the lupe a wry look.

"I just hope they stay out of trouble. I'm sure their owners will have a talk with them about this." He gazed at the children with a worried glint in his eyes.

She nodded. "Yeah, and they won't understand. They probably won't be allowed to hang around here anymore."

"Well… maybe they will," the canine said hopefully, nuzzling the faerie's temple reassuringly.


	21. The Trial

Pony: Hooray! It be chapter twenty-one!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony Doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Twenty-One: The Trial_

"Maybe it's better if they stay out of it, too. This is a little overwhelming for kids to have to deal with."

"Yeah, you're right. The woman is always right," Blaze smiled slightly, licking the Soup Faerie's forehead.

"Of course she is," Willifer interjected, prodding the lupe in the side. "That's the first law of women."

Opal chuckled, arching a brow at the brown elephante. "Actually, deary, it's the second law. The first is never to get between us and our sweets."

"Exactly," the faerie said, nodding, and got up. "Speaking of which…" She went into the other room and returned with a small bag. "Emergency chocolate. This seems like a chocolate occasion."

"It certainly does," the aged wocky smiled with a nod, looking over at the children, who's heads lifted when they heard the magical word.

"Chocowlate?" Minga repeated, wanting to make sure she heard right. The other two youngsters listened in with their undivided attention.

The Soup Faerie reached into the bag and pulled out three chocolate bars and passed them out to the kids with a smile, then settled the bag on the table between her and Opal. "That was the cheap stuff," she said with a wink. "The good stuff is for us." She pulled out a smaller bag containing dark chocolate espresso beans.

"Oh-ho, I bet the children wouldn't appreciate these as much as us." Opal smirked as Willifer shuffled himself closer to the wocky wearing an expression she knew too well. "Only if you're a good boy."

"Dig in." The faerie pulled out a handful of the serotonin-laced goodness and popped one in her mouth, then took the rest of the bag back to her secret hiding place once the wocky across from her took a pawful. When she returned, she had brought a bag of honey-roasted peanuts and handed them to Blaze with a kiss on the nose.

Blaze melted and his tail wagged a few times at the kiss. Opal laughed at the lupe's lovesick face as he happily accepted the bag, placing a couple of peanuts into his mouth. "Oh, sweetie. Just look at that adorable face! You've got him completely under your spell."

"Yep," she piped cheerfully. "The perks of being a magical faerie." She snuck a few peanuts from the bag, then settled down to munch.

"Pass some over here, would you, boy?" Willifer asked, eying the bag of peanuts hungrily. The addressed lupe swiped a few more before passing it along to the elephante, his eyes glittering like a child's while gazing through the window of a candy store. "Thanks, Blaze."

"You're welcome, Willifer." The lupe popped a couple more peanuts into his mouth, cuddling up against the Soup Faerie, and leaning his head against hers.

XXX

Every seat in the large courtroom was occupied except the defender and accuser seats and the judge's pulpit. The sound in the room as neopets, humans, and faeries spoke amongst themselves in the enclosed space was nearly deafening. Near the front, directly behind the defense seats, was a small group of pets and humans who were unusual only in that they were quiet. And they were wearing fake faerie wings and lupe ears. The room went quiet, however, when the Soup Faerie and her red lupe consort entered from the back room on the defense side, and the blue aisha entered cleaning her glasses.

The lupe swallowed the lump in his throat, and his tail went limp to the floor as he felt the eyes of every single Neopian in the room on himself and his faerie. He didn't forget his courtesy though, and he pulled out a chair for the Soup Faerie to sit before going to his own chair located at her side. Once sitting down, his paw reached over to her hand, grasping it as his eyes searched the colossal courtroom, hoping to spot Zeek.

The Soup Faerie kept her eyes carefully off of the crowd as she walked in, though her head was up and her shoulders thrown back. She did, however, keep tabs on the aisha as she strode in. The aisha was the spokes pet for the rest, and was obviously very smart. Her sharp intellect combined with the support of the vast majority of the spectators present was going to present a challenge to them. Put bluntly, they were going to have a hell of a time walking out of this without serious repercussions.

Blaze could not see the little kacheek and figured he was still with Queen Fyora. Suddenly, the Faerie Queen made her entrance, and every single Neopian rose to their feet. She fluttered into the center of the room, holding Zeek into her arms. After settling herself down, she motioned for her subjects to be seated again. She set the kacheek down at her side and glanced over at her younger sister and the lupe.

The Soup Faerie took her eyes off the aisha to turn and see her sister dropping in to preside over the meeting. Zeek looked content, only a little nervous now that he was in the courtroom full of witnesses. She knew her sister could be trusted to take care of the child. She squeezed Blaze's paw reassuringly. He squeezed back, grateful for her reassurance.

The Faerie Queen cleared her throat, gaining the entire court's full attention. "This court is now officially in session," she announced, then shifted her gaze to the glasses-wearing aisha. "Mrs. Crabtree, care to start off with your testimony."

The aisha stood and placed her glasses on her short nose, then folded her paws in front of her. "Thank you, Your Honor. I have a very simple matter to present to the court. It is the question of whether or not the actions of the Soup Faerie and Blaze the lupe are right and moral, and what should be done about it. These two have become involved in a romantic relationship, involving physical intercourse. We feel that this is inappropriate - no, more than inappropriate. It is unnatural and should be unlawful."

There was an uproar of agreement - some were voicing disagreement, but it was drowned out. The red canid narrowed his eyes into the aisha's direction as she spoke ill of his relationship with the Soup Faerie.

The Faerie Queen nodded in acknowledgment as Mrs. Crabtree spoke. "Is there anything else you wish to add?"

Surreptitiously sliding a hand across Blaze's lap to rest on his opposite thigh as a restraining measure in case he would lose his cool when the vicious aisha began talking, the Soup Faerie kept her eyes on the speaker.

The aisha nodded and smiled a small, cold smile as she continued. "Nothing, except that the people of Neopia would like this disgusting behavior stopped, before it influences the minds of the young and impressionable, especially the young kacheek they wish to pull in their lifestyle."

The other blue aisha, sitting in the balcony behind the faerie and the lupe she supported launched herself from her seat, her meerca friend not quick enough to stop her. She leaned over the railings, glaring at the glasses-wearing aisha - her twin sister, though only a tiny portion of the audience knew - and began shouting. "How could you say such horrible things about them? They're kind people who really care about each other! You've been in love so you should know that you can't help whom you fall for!"

The accusatory straightened until it looked like she had a broomstick for a spine, and whirled to glare daggers at the other blue aisha who had leapt up from her seat. "Sit down!" she hissed angrily.

The Faerie Queen stood and gestured for the supporter to sit. "You are in contempt of the court, aisha. Please retake your seat."

"Please forgive me, Your Highness, but I felt the need to lend my support to my friends for my sister's brutal words," the aisha squeaked before sitting down, her head and shoulders dropping meekly.

The Soup Faerie gave the enthusiastic aisha a smile to show that she appreciated the effort, and noticed for the first time that there were several pets, humans, and faeries behind them with "We Support Soup Faerie X Blaze" shirts and faerie wings and lupe ears, and she blushed and tried hard to keep a straight face.

"Does the defense have anything to say?" Fyora asked them.

Blaze's attention had been averted to Laura the aisha when she spoke, and he beamed at the group of supporters that even included the earth faerie Illusen and the snow faerie Taelia. He nodded at the Faerie Queen. "Yes, Your Majesty. We certainly do." He drew in a deep breath to calm his nerves before speaking again. "First of all, our relationship shouldn't matter if it's right or wrong. We wouldn't be doing anything different than what any other couple would do when taking care of a child. We provide healthy food, a place to sleep, plenty of affection, and everything else a growing child needs."

The Faerie Queen nodded serenely, neither seeming to agree or disagree. "Anything further, or may the accuser rebottle?"

The Soup Faerie patted the lupe's fur and spoke her peace. "How we conduct our lives is no business of anyone else. We aren't disturbing the peace, killing, robbing, destroying. We make soup and give it to anyone who needs it. Whether or not we are different species shouldn't be relevant."

"Well said, honey," came the praise from Blaze in a gentle, loving tone. He leaned into the faerie, softly kissing the top of her head.

Fyora nodded again, and turned her head to Crabtree. "Anything further?"

The aisha nodded. "Regardless of whether or not what they do is private - which is highly debatable, as they have been witnessed participating in lurid acts - they are still in an unnatural relationship that should be stopped before things carry on any longer. We cannot have more such relationships starting because of their example, or, heaven forbid, offspring coming from such a union. There are reasons these things don't happen in nature, just as incestuous relationships are forbidden. Therefore, I move that they be separated permanently, for the betterment of society."

"You suck!" a random supporter shouted from the crowd, who immediately hung back the instant Mrs. Crabtree turned her head to find the individual who insulted her.

The red lupe's eyes went wide at the suggestion of separation, and he instantly butted in. "You can't do that… She is all I have…"

The aisha accuser, even more spiteful at the insult from the audience, turned on Blaze. "Only vice can take over one's life to the point where nothing else matters. More proof that you should be removed from this union and rehabilitated into a useful member of society." She pushed her glasses up her nose angrily.

Fyora raised her voice over the ensuing hubbub. "Mrs. Crabtree, please refrain from addressing the defense personally. Address your points to the court as a whole, if you will."

"No one has accepted me before, so what are the odds society will accept me now?" Blaze countered. "I was an outcast because of what I am. I couldn't make any friends. My own owner left me at the pound not long after my massive growth spurt. I was left there for years without being adopted because of my size. She was the first who actually gave me a chance. She didn't care about what I am, and she saw who I was." The supporters - and even a few opposers - showed expressions of sympathy on their faces for the lupe.

The blue aisha watched Blaze dispassionately. "Excuse me, Your Honor," she said with great humility, "But I fail to see how the defendant's life story is relevant to the case."

Fyora nodded, "I agree. Your appeal is moving, but please stick to the matter at hand," she said to Blaze, not unkindly.

His face grew hot with embarrassment, his head sinking into his shoulders just slightly. "Well… it kind of does if you look into it. I mean, Soup Faerie wasn't sure about our relationship at first because of our species difference, but… we turned out fine and we're happy because she gave it a chance. Now that everyone else knows about it, and almost everyone isn't sure about it now… It can turn out just fine if they give us a chance to be a happy family. The only real difference is outer appearance."

There was snickering from the crowd as Blaze hunkered down in embarrassment, and the Soup Faerie patted his hand. But the snickering stopped as he started talking, and the sympathizers in the audience looked even more moved by his words.

"Thank you, Blaze," Fyora said, smiling just the littlest bit. The aisha didn't seem to have anything to say to that, settling for pushing her glasses up and staring into the middle distance aloofly.

Blaze gave the Faerie Queen a nod, then looked over into Mrs. Crabtree's direction to see if she had anything to say. She didn't. He turned to the faerie at his side, feeling much more confident. "Do you have anything to add, Soupy?"

There were some snickering from members of the crowd who had heard the faerie's nickname. The Soup Faerie blushed slightly at the nickname, but didn't give the spectators the satisfaction of seeing her duck her head. "No," she answered. She really didn't know what else could be said. Nothing else she could say would sway the Faerie Queen from what she already thought.

"Very well," Fyora announced, and stood. The entire room stood as well. "We will have a brief recess."

Zeek was hesitant at first, but he reached up to tug on Fyora's dress. "Can I go to miss Soup Faerie and Blaze now? Please?" he asked in a begging tone.

Mrs. Crabtree stepped forward immediately with a mutinous expression, raising a hand. "Excuse me, Your Honor, but that cannot be allowed. A verdict hasn't even been reached-"

"Thank you, Mrs. Crabtree," Fyora interjected. The Faerie Queen looked down at Zeek, then finally said, "I believe it would be permissible, so long as there is an impartial party present to see that nothing to negatively influence the child happens." She turned to glance over the crowd to find someone.

"I'll do it, Your Highness!" Laura leapt from her chair with her paw raised high. "Me! Me! I'll do it! Pick me!"

"I'm afraid not," she said to Laura, kindly. "I said impartial." Fyora eyed her fake faerie wings. "Illusen, would you do it?" The earth faerie nodded and stood up from where she had been sitting, in the back, as close to the middle as she could be.

Zeek beamed, instantly sliding off his chair, dashing madly over to the Soup Faerie and red lupe. He lunged at the faerie's leg and clung to it tightly.

Blaze kneeled to the floor beside the Soup Faerie, giving the little kacheek's head a pat. "Missed you, buddy."

The youngster let go of the faerie's leg and jumped at the lupe's torso, where he was enveloped in a tight hug.

The Soup Faerie was worried, but she didn't want to waste the short break thinking doom-and-gloom thoughts. She smiled at Blaze and Zeek's reunion, hoping they would get to stay together. Blaze was too great a father to have his child taken away. She reached out a hand to rub the back of Zeek's head.

Illusen came up to them and said quietly, "Let's head to the back room."

Blaze nodded, rising to his feet with the child in his arms. He followed the pair of faeries across the courtroom to another door that led to a private room with several other doors surrounding it. The little kacheek giggled blissfully as the little one's head was nuzzled with the velvety fur of his muzzle. It brought warmth to the lupe's heart.

There was nothing in the room but a long conference table and chairs. The Soup Faerie pulled one out for Blaze and Zeek and then sat in the one next to the red canine's. Illusen settled on the table itself and sighed. "You two got yourselves into quite the pickle, didn't you?"

"I like pickles," said Zeek as he was placed into a chair.

Blaze couldn't help but chuckle softly at the child's comment and he sat down between the kacheek and the Soup Faerie before his face morphed to convey serious concern. "We sure did."

The earth faerie shook her head. "Fyora isn't gonna be able to get you out of this one, sis."

The Soup Faerie nodded. "I wouldn't expect her to. She has more important things to do without getting herself in trouble with helping us." She leaned against Blaze, frowning.

Illusen pulled her knees up in front of her and set her chin on them. "Whataya think the punishment will be?"

Blaze's mood dampened even more. He wrapped his arm around his faerie's shoulders and nuzzled her. "I was afraid of that."

The little kacheek glanced up at the couple, then at Illusen, his expression becoming serious. "But… I thought it was Queen Fyora's job to help keep everyone happy."

The Soup Faerie reached up to run her fingers over the lupe's cheek. He was such an idealist, the idea that things couldn't be fair must have been killing him. She was a far more practical person. She didn't expect miracles and rarely got them. She wished this once that they could get one for him, though. "Even the Faerie Queen can't keep everyone happy. Sometimes, a few people have to be unhappy so that a lot more can be happy."

"D-does that mean… I-I can't stay with you guys?" Tears began welling up in the child's eyes. He was hoping the Soup Faerie would say there was some way he could remain with them. Though he grasped the concept that so many Neopians were angry that the faerie and lupe were different, yet he didn't understand why. Blaze and the Soup Faerie were good people and they took good care of him. Wasn't that enough?

The Soup Faerie couldn't keep looking at Zeek's heartbroken face, and she turned away, swallowing hard. She tucked her nose into Blaze's arm.

Illusen leaned over until she flopped down on her belly across the table, eye to eye with Zeek. "It might. But you're a big boy, and you can be strong for Blaze and Soup Faerie, can't you?"

"N-no…" Zeek whimpered, turning away from the earth faerie. He reached for the lupe's paw and wrapped his tiny arms around it and buried his face into his arm. It hurt Blaze so much seeing the kid so distraught. And the fact that he may very well likely be taken away for good hurt him all over again.

Illusen leaned on her elbows, twining her fingers below her chin. " Blaze and Soup Faerie will be hurt if you're sad," she said sorrowfully. The earth faerie was not particularly accustomed to working with children, but she tried to bargain with Zeek to cheer him up.

"I-I-I c-can't he-e-lp i-i-it," the child sobbed as he tried to pronounce his words, and he buried his tear-soaked face into the lupe's fur again.

Blaze scooped up the kacheek, holding him against his chest. "You'll be okay, buddy," he said as soothingly as he could in his own upset state. "It'll hurt for a while, but you'll move on and you'll have another family who will love you as much as we do." Zeek sniffled, rubbing the tears from his eyes onto the lupe's fur before looking up at him.

Illusen sighed and gave up. The Soup Faerie reached over to wrap her arms around both Blaze and the little kacheek. "Yep, just as much. Fyora will make sure you go to great people. You might even get brothers and sisters."

Zeek blinked, he always wanted siblings, especially younger ones. "Really?"

Blaze nodded. "We can try to get you a family with brothers and sisters if you want."

The Soup Faerie smiled and nodded. "Yep." She looked over at Illusen.

"Fyora would do that, at the very least," Illusen agreed.

The kacheek sniffled once again and rubbed his eyes. "Okay… I'll try…"

"Good," the Soup Faerie said, and patted him on the head. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Laura poked her head in, announcing that it was time to go back.


	22. Exile

Pony: Woot! It's chapter twenty-two!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Twenty-Two: Exile_

"Thanks, Laura," said Blaze as he sighed heavily, dreading what was soon to come.

From the lupe's arms, Zeek glanced up at the Soup Faerie and stretched out with his tiny arms, wanting her to hold him now.

Reaching out immediately, the Soup Faerie took Zeek from Blaze, cuddling his small body in her arms and thinking that this could be the last time she would get to do this. She hugged him close and leaned her forehead against his. "You'll be all right. Even if we aren't around, we'll make sure you're all right. Blaze can do anything," she reminded him as she walked toward the door to the courtroom.

Blaze's heart melted at the sight of the two. He wished Zeek could remain with them. There was no doubt in his mind that the faerie would make a wonderful mother. He slid his arm around her shoulders, holding her and the kacheek close to him as they entered the courtroom. His eyes went to their supporters, then to the aisha in the glasses.

Fyora greeted them at the door. Her expression was sympathetic, but she held her arms out for Zeek. The Soup Faerie squeezed him tightly once more for good measure, then handed him over to the Faerie Queen.

"Your Majesty? If… we don't get him… would you at least give him to a good family with other pets? I'm sure he would like siblings." The red lupe stared at the Faerie Queen with pleading eyes, hoping she could at least fill in this one request.

Fyora took Zeek and allowed him to tuck his head into her collar and sniffle. She regarded Blaze with her usual serenity. "To suggest that I would do anything less could be taken as and insult, lupe. Of course I will do right by the child." She didn't raise her voice, and there was no bite of anger in her tone, but the unspoken reprimand was evident. She turned to approach the judge's dais.

"Thank you…" he said as the Faerie Queen turned away. Blaze touched his nose to the Soup Faerie's cheek and gave it a loving lick.

"GO, SOUP FAERIE AND BLAZE!!!" came the frantic shouting from a blue bloodshot-eyed techo, causing the Neopians seated next to him to jump away. Many Neopians knew about him. He was often seen screaming at the Altadorian Cup matches.

The Soup Faerie leaned into Blaze, her arm around his waist as she walked back to her seat with him, and started when she heard the rabid fan screaming from the crowd. She looked up at him with wide eyes and waved a little cautiously. She found her seat as the Faerie Queen resumed hers. Blaze almost jumped at the loud voice booming from the crowd. He offered a nervous smile and took his seat next to the faerie, her hand held firmly in his furry paw.

"At least our few supporters are enthusiastic," the Soup Faerie murmured as she adjusted in her seat. "And we seem to have gotten more of them since this began."

"Yeah, we might have a better chance than we thought," the tall canine whispered to the faerie.

The Faerie Queen signaled for the court to quiet down. She turned her attention to the glasses-wearing aisha and spoke, "Mrs. Crabtree, do you have anything more to say before we go to our defendant and reach a verdict?"

Mrs. Crabtree shook her head, saying that she had nothing further and adding that, "the obvious support of the masses was ample indication of her righteousness," then settled back to stare at Blaze and the Soup Faerie with cool hostility.

Blaze looked to the Soup Faerie, then back to the Faerie Queen. "I have nothing more to say, but perhaps the Soup Faerie does, maybe."

The Soup Faerie squeezed Blaze's paw as he spoke, then declined to answer.

"Very well," the Faerie Queen said, "we will proceed to judgment." She stood and set Zeek in the chair beside her as she spoke. "With the information provided for me from both sides, and taking into consideration the numbers of people involved, I have come to the conclusion that the Soup Faerie and Blaze will not be able to continue their current state."

There was an instant outcry from the crowd, most of it overwhelmingly supportive, and the blue aisha smiled and nodded, settling her glasses with satisfaction. The Soup Faerie/Blaze supporters were drowned out, though their objection was passionate.

The red lupe felt his insides twist and turn cold and heavy like lead. His hold on the faerie's hand tightened, dreading the horrendous revelation that was sure to come soon after. Zeek didn't quite understand the large words the Faerie Queen had used, but he could tell it wasn't good.

"However," Fyora continued when the crowd had quieted enough for her to talk over them, "the defendants will be given a choice of sentence, and what ever, their choice, they will be treated with respect as intelligent, feeling creatures." Her voice was no-nonsense, and she looked at the crowd glowing with righteousness and a stern eye. The pets and humans and faeries appeared a little uneasy at this, but the room was quiet. "They will be given a choice: to separate, and resume lives apart from one another indefinitely with no contact, or to be exiled together from civilization."

Blaze was hurting, really hurting, more than he ever thought possible. If the Soup Faerie were to be exiled with him, they would be together, but… all those pets she fed… she wouldn't be able to feed them, they would go hungry, or worse… He knew that keeping thousands of neopets fed was more important than being with the faerie he loved so dearly, and he was sure she knew it too. Life hadn't been fair to him, he had endured so much pain. So much rejection, heartbreak, and almost every kind of abuse that existed. And just when his life had been turned around, found someone, that special someone he was meant to be with… their love is unaccepted by the majority of society. He would be suffering without her, but breaking away to keep pets from starving was the right thing to do.

The canid turned his head to the faerie at his side, his eyes pooling up though he fought to keep the tears from falling. "Soupy… if you want… to go back to the Soup Kitchen and continue feeding the hungry pets… I… I understand… and if that's what you want to do… I'll do it…"

The pronouncement wasn't really a shock to the Soup Faerie, but it still hit her in the pit of the stomach like a brick. It hurt, physically, and she cringed and wrapped an arm around her belly, ribs contracting. Separate from Blaze? She hadn't been with him longer than a week, and she already felt like he was part of her, like her lungs or her hands or her heart - necessary to make her whole and functional. If they were cut apart, she might be able to limp along for a while, but it wouldn't last. Important as it was to feed hungry pets who had no other options, it was no longer her passion. Making soup was what she did, of course, and she wouldn't be able to give that up either, but doing it alone? Not now that she knew what it was like to have the partner that was meant for her.

When Blaze offered to let go, she straightened, forcing herself to be composed. Her natural toughness came out, and she turned to him with resolve. The crowd around them was still silent, though behind them, Laura was sniffling into a tissue. "I am not going to give you up. If the pets here cannot accept my love for you, they cannot have the love I have offered through my soup." Without waiting for a response, she lifted both of her hands, grabbed him by the sides of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

Blaze was surprised and thoroughly relieved that the faerie would not be separating from him. His eyes went wide as she grabbed fistfuls of fur from each side his neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss, then slipped shut and he responded in kind. The lupe's large paws found their way to her cheeks, caressing them as the kiss continued on and deepened. He was now filled with among the highest degrees of happiness, now he knew that no matter the circumstance, his beloved faerie would never leave him. He would never be alone again.

The room was silent for approximately three seconds after the kiss started before pandemonium broke out. The pets and humans behind them, including Taelia and Illusen, erupted in loud cheering, whistling, and good natured catcalls. The rest of the audience went into something of a murderous rage. Mothers covered the eyes of a few children who had been brought along, and many of the pets and humans rushed to the front, trying to get to them.

Fyora threw down a purple barrier of magic to keep the protesters at bay, even as she started laughing. It was the laugh that brought the Soup Faerie back, and she pulled away from Blaze to stare at her sister in surprise. She hadn't seen the Faerie Queen laugh in decades.

Willifer and Opal were seated in the second row behind the pair they supported, and the aged elephante got up and hurried after one of the enraged pets who was hammering their fists against the barrier Fyora had created. He gently grasped the angry grundo by his shoulders, easing him back. "Y'better stop that before you hurt yourself, young man."

The crowd remained in an uproar, though the Soup Faerie had stopped kissing her lupe lover, and Fyora's laughter settled to a chuckle. She regained her composure, then cleared her throat, loudly. "So you've made your decision?" she asked, and the spectators quieted down somewhat to hear the Faerie Queen.

"I… believe so… You're Majesty…" said the dazed lupe, his posture swayed slightly sideways and his shoulders sagged, his arms dangling limp at his sides.

The brown elephante behind them the defendants chuckled. Being the closest supporter, he was able to see that Blaze was in his own little world at the moment.

The Soup Faerie smiled, squeezing the canine around the waist. "Yes. We'll go into exile." Saying the words stole the warmth from kissing her lupe, and the Faerie Queen nodded.

"Come with me, then."

Blaze snapped out of his trance, feeling his stomach clench again at the Faerie Queen's words. He slowly got up, keeping a hold of the Soup Faerie. Little Zeek, however, was confused and he tugged at Fyora's gown.

"What is exile?"

Fyora turned immediately and picked Zeek up. "It means they are going to another part of the world, for a long time," she answered simply.

Suddenly, from a corner of the room, someone said, "Queen Fyora, may we take care of Zeek?" A small blue shoyru darted forward, his owner hard on his heels to grab him before he ran into the middle of the courtroom. The young Neopian was too quick for her, reaching the center of the room and skidding to a halt.

The shoyru's owner caught herself before she could run straight into her pet. She stood straight up, breathing heavily from the mad dash from the audience. "You're… Highness… may I… adopt him…? My little… shoyru, Flamo… is his… best friend…" she panted.

In Fyora's arms, Zeek turned to peer down at Flamo, then said quietly, "I wanna go to Blaze and miss Soup Faerie."

Fyora looked down at him and replied, "You can't, but you may go to Flamo and his owner. It may not be as good, but is it good enough?"

The kacheek sighed deeply, and glanced over to the shoyru below and his owner. He couldn't have the guardians he really wanted… and it just wasn't fair that they had to leave, but living with his good friend was better than adjusting to strangers. He shifted his attention back to the Faerie Queen and nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." Fyora descended from her podium and strode over to Flamo and his owner, and held the kacheek out to the young woman. She took Zeek with a smile, and the Faerie Queen turned to Blaze and the Soup Faerie, who were standing close by. "Are you ready?" she asked, lifting a hand glowing with pink energy.

Blaze looked to the Soup Faerie. He didn't want to leave the children and the rest of their wonderful friends, but he, nor the faerie at his side, had a choice. "I guess so."

Fyora dragged her hand down through the air, opening a rift. The lavender tear widened for them, but what was through it was obscured in matching color mist. The Soup Faerie glanced at her sister. "Where are we headed?" she asked, swallowing a growing knot of nerves.

The Faerie Queen smiled ambiguously. "You'll just have to see, won't you?"

Blaze swallowed hard, taking the Soup Faerie's hand. He took one more look at Zeek and Flamo and the supporters in the audience before positioning himself in front of the rift. His eyes slid over to the faerie. "I guess this is it…"

The Soup Faerie blew a kiss to Zeek and Flamo. The shoyru stuck out his tongue and wrinkled his nose, disgusted, but the kacheek pretended to catch it, smiling just a little. Then she tightened her grip on Blaze's paw and waved to Willifer, Opal, and their other supporters, as well as her sisters. Finally, she walked through the portal, pulling Blaze with her.

The red lupe clung tightly onto the faerie, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders as the dimensional rip closed behind them and now surrounded by a realm of lavender magic. It was very different and quite strange - and not to mention quite frightening for him. The walls of light purple soon began to clear, leaves and flowers and other plant life appearing in its place.

The Soup Faerie was used to magic and magical travel, but she held onto Blaze to comfort him, knowing he would likely be disoriented. She was more afraid of where they would end up. It would have to be somewhere outside of the civilized areas of Neopia. When the magic dissolved, they were left in a thick jungle, and she sighed. "Oh, boy."

He drew away, his body whirling in every direction, gazing in awe at their surroundings. The jungle air was humid, the soil was moist with decomposing foliage carpeting some areas, and the flowers were quite a sight. All shapes and colors, exotic and flaring to delicate and soothing to the eye. "Wow."

"This isn't so bad," the faerie said calmly. "At least it isn't a desert. We're sure to be able to find food around here. And the canopy is so thick the weather won't be too hard to deal with - we can make a shelter in a snap."

"Yeah," Blaze agreed, still taking in the surroundings, and already starting to calm down. He then turned around to face her. "You getting hungry, Soupy? I can find some food."

She smiled and nodded. "You know, I am a little," she lied. It would give him something to focus on instead of their abrupt change of fortunes. She would rather he not start panicking.

"Okay, I'll find us some food." With that, the lupe disappeared into a large bush of ferns, keeping his sensitive nose out for anything edible.

He sniffed around until his nose lead him to a slight clearing with berry bushes, bean pods, nut trees, and fruit trees. He plucked a large pod full of beans that was at least a foot in length, then his eyes fell upon a small yellow, round fruit. It smelled a little strange, but its scent told him it was safe enough to eat. He picked it from its branch and sank his teeth into it. It was tart and sour, like a green apple. Once he finished the entire thing, he dropped the pit, feeling disoriented and slightly on the giddy side. His vision was a little blurry and his stride back to the Soup Faerie was swayed and wobbly.

The Soup Faerie had been busy gathering huge fan leaves from some of the surrounding plants, laying down a thick mat for a bed. She was now gathering large sticks and leaning them against trees, setting up the frame of a small lean-to. The forest was loud with squeaks and rustles and bird chirps that made her nervous at first, but soon became background noise. However, she could tell when Blaze came back, because he made quite a bit of a racket. She turned, and blinked as he weaved a little coming back into view. "Did you find anything?"

Blaze stumbled into the clearing, dropping the bean pods he had found. "Yee… eeep." A hiccup erupted from his mouth and he stared at the faerie for a moment, then his eyes widened.

The faerie cocked an eyebrow at him, and laid the branch she was holding against the tree, walking toward him. "Well, that looks promising. It's getting dark, so we should on making a shelter."

"God… you're so freaking hot…" The lupe continued to stare at her, eyes wider and his mouth agape.

She paused just as she was about to crouch to get a better look at what he had brought back, and straightened, her cheeks going bright red and her breath going short. "What?" she asked, thinking she must have misheard him. Blaze was far too shy and sweet to say something so bluntly.

The lupe threw his arms around her shoulders, his weight thrown against her, causing them both to tip over onto their palm fan bed. "Wheee -- Oof!"

"Wha--" she started again, startled, and squeaked when they landed on the makeshift bed, Blaze's larger frame pinning her. She stared up at him, dumbfounded. "What's gotten into you?"

The lupe's head was spinning so fast from the rush to hear what the Soup Faerie had asked him. Once he was slightly less dizzy, he looked down at her with a goofy smile. "Woofers wants to cuddle."

Lying very still, she peered up at him, seriously wondering if it was another lupe lying on top of her. She had never run into a pet his size before, so what was the chance there was another super-sized red lupe? Very, very low. But something had gotten into him. "Woofers?" she sniffed cautiously. "Are you drunk?" She couldn't think where he would come across alcohol out here, but he was certainly acting awfully tipsy.

Blaze laughed as if she had told him a gut-burstingly funny joke, and his head thumped on her shoulder, resting it there. "Whaaaaaaat?" The lupe let out another laugh, his chin rubbing against her shoulder.

"Definitely drunk," she decided. She would figure out how later. "Okay, Woofers, get off me. I have to finish the shelter."

Barely comprehending part of what she had said, the large canine rolled off of the faerie. "Goggie can has snuggles, please?"

The Soup Faerie took a deep breath when he was off of her, and sat up. She leaned back on her hands as she looked down at him, lolling on his back and looking wasted and pleading. She just knew she was going to regret it, but… "Okay." She leaned down and put her arms around him, laying her head on his chest.

The happy drunken canid furled his arms around the faerie, and lifted his head to awkwardly nuzzle her cranium. "Woofers loves his… uh…" he paused, temporarily forgetting what she was, "his firefly lady." He continued nuzzling her.

"Oh, boy…" Woofers. Firefly lady. This was going downhill. "Soup Faerie loves her Woofers, too," she said, giving in to the inevitable. At least he was an affectionate drunk. It could be worse.

"You're my sweet cuppy-cake," he crooned, planting a sloppy kiss to the Soup Faerie's forehead.

"Oh, no. That's it." The Soup Faerie rolled her eyes and pushed herself up. Cuppy-cake was too far. "Go to sleep. I need to finish the roof."

Blaze looked confused, as well as slightly worried. "I don't want to g-go to sleep w-with you angry at m-me," he whimpered.

She wasn't used to dealing with drunks, especially not drunks she loved. She frowned at him and felt guilty that she had hurt him, even if she hadn't been intending to. "I'm not angry at you, honey," she tried placatingly. "I love you."

The lupe slowly processed the information. After a few minutes, he answered with a simple "Okay", and he was out cold.

Well, that had been simple. The Soup Faerie shook her head and leaned over to brush a hand over Blaze's head. He was breathing deeply and evenly, clearly out cold. Kissing him softly, she got back up and finished creating the little shelter. It was nothing special, but it would keep them dry. Hopefully. She laid down next to the lupe, finally, tired, and cuddled close to his warm body. Night was falling, and the temperature was dropping with it.


	23. Welcome to Lutari Island

Pony: Here be another chapter!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Twenty-Three: Welcome to Lutari Island_

The morning sunshine was cast into the dense jungle in copious beams peaking through the holes in the leafy canopies. The red lupe stirred against the faerie next to him as he awoke from his slumber. His head pounded mercilessly, and he groaned, shielding his closed lids, wanting complete blackness.

The Soup Faerie was wedged practically under the lupe, her small form tucked in a curl for warmth. She wasn't used to sleeping without covers, and though the jungle hadn't gotten too cold in the night, she had still been chilled, and she woke feeling like she hadn't gotten much sleep at all. When Blaze shifted, she followed him, reaching up to wrap her arms around him and bury her cold hands in his warm fur. "We need a real bed STAT," she said weakly.

The lupe winced at her voice, his furry features scrunching, signifying that he was in pain. He felt as if he had been hit in the head with a wrecking ball. "Please… Soupy… not so loud…" he groaned, holding his head as he sat up.

She was in the middle of burying her nose in his warm fur when he spoke, and she looked up in confusion. She hadn't spoken very loud at all. In fact, she had barely been loud enough to hear herself. She saw his face contorted, and then remembered the night before. "Aw, honeybear," she crooned, sympathetic and amused. She sat up and reached for his head, running a gentle hand over his cheek.

The gentle stroke over his cheek was soothing, but his head was still pounding like a jackhammer. He suddenly felt a wave of nausea and he sprung to his feet and made a mad dash to a nearby bush, despite the fact that the pain in his head could be jostled by the slightest movement. The sound of retching and miserable moaning from the lupe was loud enough to be heard from a far distance.

The Soup Faerie stretched and sat on her feet, listening to Blaze and feeling sorry for him, not amused anymore. Being sick with a hangover was the worst. She pulled a hand through her hair, staring off toward where Blaze disappeared, when she heard a small rustle beside her and turned… and collapsed backward in surprise. An island lutari crouched next to her, staring into the bushes. "Who are you?" she gasped.

The lutari didn't move, simply shifted his eyes over to her and grinned. "G'mornin'," he drawled.

Just as Blaze finished vomiting, his ears twitched as they caught the voice of a stranger, and he instantly shifted into protective mode even though his head was still in a great deal of pain. He strode over to the faerie's side, his eyes on the island lutari, who calmly turned his attention to him.

"Hey, bro, got a flu bug in your belly?"

"Uh… no. I… just have a bad headache," the lupe replied, his voice hoarse. He sat down on his haunches to rub his throbbing temples.

The lutari got up and sauntered around the patch of palm leaves the Soup Faerie had set up, and she watched him suspiciously. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

He chuckled and spread both arms wide. "I'm Skip! Island guide and bushman, at your service, missy," he announced, giving her a shining white smile.

"Uh, nice to meet you, Skip," Blaze said, trying to ignore the pain in his head.

Skip stretched up, ruffling the tuft of fur on the lupe's head, leaving it a furry mess when he took his hand away. "Did ya happen to eat a small yellow fruit last night, by the way?"

The canine's eyes lit up, the memory returning to him by the lutari's mentioning. "Yeah, I did."

"Lay off them from now on. Those things are, like, the double martini of fruit," Skip laughed and slapped the canid's shoulder. "All right, kiddies," he continued, trundling off in a seemingly arbitrary direction. "Time to get a move on."

The Soup Faerie stared after him, then got up, though she didn't follow. "Where are you trying to take us?"

"To the village," he replied, turning around and walking backwards while he spoke, "I'd hang with you guys out here for a while, but it's old Shrie's birthday today, and she's been bakin' pie for it all day. Shrie's pie is the best."

"Village?" the faerie asked, feeling like a broken record.

"There's… a village here? Where are we anyway?" Blaze asked, getting to his feet anxiously.

"Oh! Duh! How could I forget?" said the lutari, slapping a paw to his temple before stretching his arms out again. "Welcome to Lutari Island!"

The Soup Faerie stared, and then laughed. "My sister's been holding out on everyone. She's known about this place and these people all along, hasn't she?"

Skip grinned and nodded. "Of course. She vacations here once or twice in a blue moon."

"Wow, Lutari Island… I thought… I mean, I heard it's suppose to be very misty here," said Blaze, noting the clear air.

"Only above the island, bro, only above the island," Skip chuckled. "Some parts of the island skies are totally clear and you can see the stars at night. The village is one of those places." He continued walking backwards, oblivious to the surfaced root behind his feet. Before Blaze or the Soup Faerie could warn him, he tripped over it, falling back in a heap upon damp soil and rotting leaves.

"Are you okay?" The Soup Faerie rushed over after Skip to help him up. "For a field guide bushman, you're awfully oblivious," she commented good-naturedly.

"Yah, happens all the time," the lutari laughed, accepting the faerie's hand. Skip brushed the bits of dirt from his fur, and straightened up, smiling. "Now if you and Big Red follow me, we'll get to the party before my boy starts singin' to the birthday girl."

Blaze had rushed over to the lutari just as the Soup Faerie had when he went down, the painful throbbing intensifying with each step, but he still tried to ignore it. The lupe smiled softly. "Oh, yeah? How old is he?"

Skip beamed proudly and answered, "My kid's six."

"We wouldn't want to miss his singing," the faerie said, smiling. Blaze still looked a little green around the gills, so she put an arm around his waist, gentle as she could be.

Her eyes went back to Skip when he laughed, however, and said, "Oh no, I want to get there to prevent it! That kid has the worst singing voice on the island, but no one's got the heart to tell him on account of his being so cute."

The Soup Faerie flushed, embarrassed. "Oh. I'm sorry."

But Skip gave another laidback laugh and shook his head, "Nah, he's great except fer that voice. Now my daughter, she's got a great voice, but shy as a turdle. We'll see if she'll sing for us this time." He winked and continued into the jungle.

Blaze chuckled softly. "I guess we better get going." He made sure to step over the root that had tripped Skip, and trudged along with the Soup Faerie by his side. They quickly came upon a few outstretched leafy branches, which the island lutari limboed under, and the lupe pushed them aside, clearing a path for the faerie. "After you."

It was less than half an hour of walking through the thick jungle when the trio abruptly left the trees. After the dark, moist interior of the trees, the light was bright enough to make the faerie squint. Before them was a small village made up of a few little grass huts.

"Welcome to Hafesh Village! The party's this way." Skip took off through the middle space of the entire cluster of houses.

Blaze squeezed his eyes shut, the sudden increase of light hurting his head even more. He slowly opened his eyes again, adjusting to the brightness. He and the Soup Faerie followed the island lutari as he darted off in a hurry. Ahead was a large crowd of neopets, most of them other lutaris. Their bodies were painted with bright and colorful markings and they wore leis of exotic flowers around their necks. In the middle of the clearing was a long bench of thick branches and grasses with bowls and plates of fruits, nuts, and tons of pies.

A little red lutari child was the first to see Skip, and he raced up to him. Skip swept the child up, and the rest of the pets saw him and welcomed him in. At the center of the group was a short rainbow kau, and when the island lutari reached the middle section, her voice rose above the hubbub. "Skip, you lazy lutari, introduce the guests y'all fetched back to us!"

"Yeah, you lazy lutari," the child in Skip's arms smirked, sticking his tongue out.

"Okay, okay!" Skip laughed, and gestured at the lupe and faerie with a free paw. "These are our new pals, the Soup Faerie and Blaze. The ones Queen Fyora exiled for gettin' cuddly."

The Soup Faerie went pink and lifted a hand to her mouth. The lutari was surprisingly blunt. There was a general murmur and a few catcalls. A tall lutari beside Blaze nudged the lupe and offered a paw for a low five. Blaze was hesitant at first, overcome with shyness, but he gave in and slapped his paw on the lutari's.

"Well, your relationship is all right here. Am I right, y'all?" the rainbow kau addressed the crowd in her southern accent, receiving an uproar of agreement and cheering.

Surprised and uncertain, the faerie hung close to Blaze and clutched a fistful of his fur. Their acceptance was almost unnerving. The kau must have seen her expression, because she picked up two plates with slices of pie and went over to them, handing one to each.

"Y'all will be okay here," she said with an affectionate smile.

"Um… th-thank you, ma'am," the red lupe smiled softly, still a little nervous, and he took his plate of pie. His head wasn't doing well with his appetite, but he ate to be polite. "It's very good."

Skip grinned, taking a slice for himself and his kids. "Told ya it's the best pie ever."

The party started up again and was flowing around them as if they had never shown up. Taking her pie, the Soup Faerie went over to one side and sat on one of the logs placed there for seats and savored her pie. She hadn't been able to eat the evening before, and she had a long, cold, not-so-restful night.

The rainbow kau drifted over after a while. "I'm Shrie, hun. You look like you'd rather take a nap than celebrate. Wanna head home?"

"Home?" Blaze looked up at the mid-wife kau questioningly as he sat down beside the faerie, wrapping his tail around her. "You mean our shelter?"

The kau snorted. "Skip told me what your 'shelter' was like. But I wouldn't send y'all back to that even if you'd done it passably. Come on this way."

She lead them through the village in the opposite direction they had come through and went back into the edge of the jungle along a narrow path. In minutes, they reached a clearing of which stood… the Soup Kitchen.

Blaze's jaw dropped, completely dumbfounded that the Soup Kitchen was actually right there in front of them. "… H-how?"

Shrie looked back at him inscrutably, leaned close to the lupe, and whispered, "Magic!" and then burst out laughing. Her laugh was more of a cackle.

The Soup Faerie's eyes teared up, and she shook her head. "Fyora. My sister has an awful sense of humor."

"Oh," the lupe blinked. "Well, that was awfully nice of her to do this." He turned his muzzle to the faerie and gave her a soft nuzzle.

The faerie nodded and hugged him. "Well, it would've been nicer if she'd dropped us here _with_ the cottage rather than in the middle of the jungle where we would think we had to survive by eating berries like ixis."

"I guess she wanted to surprise us," said Blaze, returning the hug. "I'm ready to go back to bed. My head is still killing me."

"I'm sore too. I think the ground kicked me in my sleep." She turned to Shrie and thanked her. "Happy birthday, too. Enjoy your party."

The kau smiled and said, "Oh, it's only a birthday. Your celebration will be something to get excited over."

"Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your special day," said the tall canine before he and the Soup Faerie stepped into their home. He heaved a sigh and headed for the bedroom, sliding onto the mattress and pulling his comforter over him.

The Soup Faerie followed and grabbed her own share of the covers, climbing in next to him with a heartfelt sigh of relief at the warm comfort.

The lupe shuffled over to the faerie, cuddling up to her and kissing her ear. "Sweet dreams, Soupy."


	24. Welcoming Gift

Pony: Here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Twenty-Four: Welcoming Gift_

The lupe and faerie slept for several hours. It was mid-afternoon before the Soup Faerie came awake, slowly, blinking into the sunlight that was shining straight through the window and into her eyes at this time of day. She rolled over and stretched, and then snuggled closer to Blaze again. Blaze felt the faerie curl into him as he awoke. He first noticed that his headache was gone, and he was quite thankful for that. The canine cuddled against her, closing his eyes again, and his nose found her forehead and he gave it a few soft laps.

She was already halfway back to sleep, but she mumbled, "Feeling better?" when she felt him turn.

"Much," he mumbled back, still a little sleepy. He nuzzled her head and gave her forehead a few more licks.

The Soup Faerie would have simply sunk back into sleep after that if someone hadn't knocked on the door. The knocking was loud and slow and obnoxious, and she groaned and put the pillow over her head. "You go see who it is," she commanded grumpily.

"Sure." The lupe yawned and slid off of the bed. He stretched and grunted softly in the process before heading for the doorway. Upon reaching the front door, he opened it to see who it was.

A little pink lutari child stood at the door, holding a large basket full of fruit. She was smaller than the basket, and practically hid behind it. She managed to stammer out, "Th-th-this is from papa!" before turning and running as fast as she could back down the path.

Blaze smiled softly, charmed by the shy little child. Before he could thank her or tell her to thank her father for him, she took off at a high speed. The lupe picked up the basket of fruit and carried it inside, closing the door behind him. He set the large basket on the table and pulled out a couple of fruits from it and headed back into the bedroom.

The Soup Faerie had wriggled to the middle of the bed, into the warm spot left by the lupe, and was tucked all the way under the blankets, so that not even her brown hair showed. Blaze approached the bed, bending over and burrowing under the blankets. He crawled under, slithering up to the faerie and curled up beside her, greeting her with a lick across the face. Instinctively reacting to her sleep being threatened, the faerie pushed him back, hard, and flipped over under the covers with her back to him, tucking her face into the mattress.

The hard shove was surprisingly strong, and the lupe was pushed off the edge of the bed, blanket pulled off the faerie as he fell on the wooden floor, letting out a short undignified noise. The faerie started shivering a few seconds later, and groped around for the covers. She couldn't find them, and moved so she could reach down to the bottom of the bed, thinking she might have kicked them down there. When she still couldn't find them, she frowned and cracked open her eyes. The covers were completely gone. Feeling cranky at having to wake up, she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, thinking a hot shower would make up for the lack of warm covers.

Blaze fumbled around in his cocoon of blankets, trying to find the edge so he could free himself. Once he finally unwrapped the comforter from his body, he noticed the Soup Faerie wasn't in bed. His ears twitched when they caught the sound of a squeaky faucet and running water following after, confirming the faerie's whereabouts. He picked up the comforters and spread them out neatly on the bed after setting the fruits he had retrieved from the basket onto the nightstand.

While the Soup Faerie was in the shower, there was another knock at the door, this one a little softer, and someone called, "Hey, you guys alive in there?"

Blaze was up on his feet, heading back to the front door the instant he heard the knocking. He hurried to the main room and threw the door open to greet the visitor. "Yeah, everything's okay," the lupe smiled in a friendly manner.

"Awesome," said the little red lutari kid standing on the doorstep. "Did my sister come by here? Dad sent her over here, but she's real shy, and Dad wants to make sure she got here without chickening out."

"Yeah, she came by, but took off before I could thank her," he huffed a little laugh. "Can you tell her and your dad thank you for the fruit basket for me?"

"Suuure," the lutari drawled, sounding a lot like his dad. He had been inconspicuously peeking around Blaze to see into the cottage, and his eyes went round. "Wow, that's a cool pot. Do you make spells with it like the witch doctor?"

Blaze laughed. "Oh, no. We make soup... At least we did before we were exiled. Hungry pets lined up outside every day and we handed it out to them."

"For free?" The kid sounded incredulous, and he stepped forward, then caught himself. "So are you not doing it anymore now that you're exiled?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

"Yeah, for free." Blaze stepped aside, motioning for the lutari child to come inside if he wanted. "Do you know of any hungry pets who don't have enough money to buy food?"

The kid didn't wait for a second invitation. He trotted into the house, looking around with eyes wide, taking in all the details. "Nah, we do pretty in the village. We take care of each other." He sounded proud, like he was quoting something he had heard. "But the other villages aren't so great. I bet there are lots of pets without food. Wow, this place is cool. It's nothing like the houses at the village."

"Thank you. What are the houses in your village like?" Blaze asked, quite curiously, as he watched the kid explore the kitchen.

"Made out of trees and stuff," the kid answered, shrugging. He trundled over to the cauldron and reached up to grab the lip, pulling himself up until he could see in.

Blaze walked over to the cauldron, and gently grasped the little lutari's sides, lifting him up for a better look inside. "There you go."

The kid scrabbled at the sides with his back feet, and when Blaze lifted him, he balanced on the edge of the pot. "Hello!" he cried suddenly, and nearly fell in. "Aw, it doesn't echo."

"No, but it's magicaaal," said the lupe, putting mystical emphasis in his words. "It doesn't need a fire pit to cook soup."

"Duuuude," the lutari said. Then he got bored with the pot and scrambled to get down. "I gotta go. Dad wants me to find Etty before dinner."

Blaze nodded as the child wriggled from his hold and landed on his feet on the floor. "Okay then. It was nice meeting you. What's your name?"

The boy was halfway to the door already when he turned around and said, "I'm Skid!" while walking backwards and pointing his thumb at himself. A second later, he backed into the doorjamb and fell over.

Blaze rushed over to the little one, his expression showed concern for him. "You okay, Skid?"

The young lutari sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Yep, I'm cool." He got up and brushed his backside off, then trotted out the door with a wave. "Have a nice day, bro!" he called, speeding into a run down the path back to the village.

Blaze's face softened, relieve that the youngster hadn't hurt himself. He watched him take off toward the village before turning his head into the direction of the cauldron. _'Guess I could get dinner started_,' he thought as he got the utensils out and some ingredients from the storage shelves.

XXX

A few minutes later, the Soup Faerie finished her shower and stepped out to dry herself and change into a clean set of clothes, finally fully awake and refreshed. She hugged the damp towel, having a moment of gratitude that she had her home here, and wasn't wandering with Blaze, starving and cold and alone in the jungle. She had a lot to thank her sister for.

XXX

Blaze found a recipe for clam chowder, it sounded appealing at the moment. He cleaned, peeled and sliced up potatoes, shelled and cleaned clams, cut up a few onions, and added the rest of the ingredients to the creamy soup and stirred them together.

The Soup Faerie walked out into the kitchen combing her hair, and took a sniff. "Clam chowder," she said with a smile and came over to hug Blaze, then leaned around him to take a taste from the spoon.

Blaze's tail wagged and he turned to the Soup Faerie upon hearing her voice. Grinning, he willingly returned the hug she had given him before she snagged the spoon from him. "What do you think, Soupy?"

She tilted her head, considered carefully and patted him on the back. "Tastes good to me. You don't need me to teach you anything anymore."

Blaze blinked in surprise. "Really? A... are you sure there's nothing else you can teach me?"

"Well, if you were going to be taking over my job, I might have a few more tricks to show you, but you've pretty much got this covered." She tapped him on the nose and got a pair of bowls for them.

The lupe smiled as the faerie got bowls for them, and he started dishing the soup into them. "Skip's son, Skid, came over while you were in the shower. He said there might be other villages with pets who have no food. If there are, we can reopen the Soup Kitchen."

The faerie took her bowl of soup carefully. "That would be... amazing. I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't running the Soup Kitchen."

"Well, then I guess I'll have to make sure we get customers," the lupe promised, kissing the faerie's head, and he began eating his own soup.

She shook her head at him. "What, planning to steal all of the alcohol fruit before the other villagers get to it so they need soup?" she joked, nudging him.

Blaze laughed, and butted the faerie's cheek with his nose. "Maybe," he said with a devilish grin.

"Oh dear," she said, with an solemn look. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, considering your behavior last night..."

"What did I do exactly?" Blaze asked, tilting his head. He had a knot in his gut, as he was hoping he didn't do anything inappropriate. "Nothing bad I hope."

The Soup Faerie's eyes widened as she realized he didn't remember, and she looked down at her chowder to hide the mischievous spark she knew had jumped into her eyes. "Well, let's just say it started with you dragging me to the forest floor, and ended with you falling asleep..."

The lupe's face heated up and his eyes widened with surprise and slight aroused interest. "R-r-really...?" he squeaked, then cleared his throat.

The Soup Faerie forced the little smirk to disappear and looked up at him with a sincere expression. "You're very different when under the influence," she said, very neutrally. Then she leaned close and kissed him. "I'm glad you think I'm hot."

"I-I-I s-said th-that?" His ears fell and his face grew warmer. He swallowed hard and smiled nervously. "Well... you are..."

She tried to hold it in, but the smile came out anyway, and then she laughed and leaned into him to squeeze him in a hug. "Thank you, so are you."

Blaze smiled softly, no longer feeling quite as nervous. He slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled. "Hey... wanna go sit outside for a while? ... Maybe ... look at the stars a bit?"

"Sure. But I don't think the stars are out yet." She picked up her bowl, ate the last couple of bites, and then put it in the sink. "I'll go grab a blanket to sit on."

He nodded, and went over to the door to wait for the Soup Faerie to return with the blanket. As she emerged with the fabric folded in her arms, he opened the door for her. "Ladies first."

She smiled and patted his arm as she went past. Outside, evening was falling, and the clearing was already cast in shadow by the towering trees, though the sun's rays were visible in the sky above. She went to the middle of the clearing and shook out the blanket, tossing it over a fairly even patch of ground, and sat.

The red canine curled up next to the Soup Faerie, laying his head in her lap. He sighed softly, gazing up at the faerie's face, mesmerized by it. She stared up at the sky for a minute, stroking a hand lazily over Blaze's fur, before glancing down at him. "You're gonna make me blush," she said, already feeling her face heat from his adoring expression.

"Too late, honey," the lupe said, turning his head and nuzzling her abdomen. He glanced back up at her, his face becoming even more dazed. "... You're so beautiful..."

She blushed deeper, and tilted her head back up to the sky, unused to the scrutiny. Even the pets who offered deep gratitude to her for keeping them from starving didn't have such innocent yet intense eyes, looking at her like she was something really special. "Hey, the first star's out," she commented, pointing to where the blue of night was overtaking the orange of day in the middle of the open space above them.

Blaze sat up, positioning himself in an upright position by the Soup Faerie as he turned his head up to the darkening sky. He spotted the tiny dot, twinkling like a tiny diamond. "So it is." Still keeping his eyes on the star, he scooted over until his side was touching the faerie's, and he wrapped his fluffy tail around her waist.

The Soup Faerie took a deep breath of the damp warm air and leaned into Blaze, glad that he wasn't watching her any more. The lupe had her up on a pedestal, and it made her worry about falling off in front of him.

Blaze felt warm and happy, and he gave the faerie's head a few nuzzles before his eyes wandered off the blanket and to a few small white flowers. Reaching out, he plucked them, one by one. The lupe curled the stems around each other, forming a loop. Once he had completed a small ring of the flowers, he reached for the faerie's hand and slipped it onto her ring finger.

The faerie watched Blaze for a few minutes, smiling at the flowers because it was innocent and childlike, something she'd done as a little girl. Soon, though, she leaned back and lay out on the grass to stare up at the sky. She hardly noticed when Blaze picked up her hand, but she sat up and stared at the ring he slipped over her finger, feeling her heart turn over. She swallowed, but couldn't seem to find anything to say. Instead, she took his hand with both of hers and held it to her heart and leaned against him.

The lupe smiled and nuzzled her as she leaned in close to him. He began to grow a little nervous again as he decided to bring up a matter that jumped into his head. "Um... Soupy? Since we're... spending our lives together... would you... w-would you consider, um... ever... uh... since the other pets are okay with us being together too... do you think... maybe we could... possibly... um..." Blaze trailed on, his free paw rubbing the back of his neck, as he attempted to bring up the possibility of a ceremonial union, a marriage.

The moment he opened his mouth, the Soup Faerie knew he was going to ask something important. He was tense, nearly quivering, and he started stammering all over again. She looked up at him, still holding his paw, and her soft brown eyes got very large. She tucked her lower lip between her teeth. A flock of butterflies brushed the inside of her stomach. "Blaze, are you asking me to marry you?"

Blaze nodded. "Y-yes." The lupe was becoming more nervous, his heart trembling in his chest as he awaited the faerie's response to his proposal.

The faerie's chest felt too full, like she couldn't breathe around her heart, and she felt her eyes tearing up. She made a small sound, almost a squeak, and she leaned forward and put her arms around him. "Yes, of course I'll marry you, Blaze."

The lupe's chest swelled, all nervousness pushed out by bliss. He embraced the faerie, his tail wagging faster than it had ever done before. He quickly licked up the tears that leaked from her eyes and he kissed her passionately.


	25. Everett

Pony: Thank you for the review! Reviews make me happy and stuff. Disclaim, Disclaimer Dude.

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Twenty-Five: Everett_

The faerie kissed him back, crawling up into the lupe's lap to put her arms around his neck. "You sure they have a priest around here who'd do it for us?" she asked, pausing for breath.

"It's an entire island. I'm sure we can find one," he replied, then continued the kiss, running a hand up and down her lower back.

The faerie grinned and buried her nose in his fur, hugging him as tight as she could in her joy. She practically threw herself at him, her small weight hitting him square in the chest. It was a horribly girly moment, but she embraced it, giving in to a feminine giggle. "We're getting married!" she squeaked.

The lupe was thrown onto his back from the weight of the Soup Faerie, but he laughed, it was a wonderful moment. "Yes, we're getting married!" the canid beamed, his eyes twinkling. "I never thought it would happen, but... boy was I wrong! I end up getting the prettiest faerie in Neopia!"

"And we're going to make soup for the pets on this island, who accept us for who we are, and we're going to live happily ever after." The faerie kept a tight hold on Blaze, like if she hugged him hard enough they would never have another problem again.

"Happily ever after..." Blaze repeated, tightening his own embrace, nuzzling her more sensually. He was overwhelmed with happiness, he would finally officially have a family. A real family. Even if it was just him and the Soup Faerie. He felt tears of joy pool up in his eyes, and he failed to keep them from streaming.

"Oh, honey..." the Soup Faerie pushed herself up and wiped at the tears running down Blaze's fur, her own eyes welling. "We're gonna be fine."

"Soupy, I'm fine... better than fine. I finally get to have the family that loves me..." he said, smiling endearingly at the faerie.

The Soup Faerie tried to ignore the little pang in her heart at the word family. The word made her think of children, like Zeek, who had to be left behind. Blaze deserved to have a real family, and she couldn't give it to him. But she pushed the guilt aside and leaned down to kiss him. "I'm glad you're so happy."

"I want you to be happy, too." Blaze kissed her back. As the kiss broke, he gave her another loving expression. "Um... you know, if you want to have kids... we... always adopt when the opportunity comes up."

She smiled wryly, thinking he'd almost read her mind - but it wasn't for her own happiness that she wanted children, it was for Blaze. She would love to have kids, but Blaze was practically made to have them. "I don't know if they have an adoption agency around here, but I would love to adopt." She touched her forehead to his and kissed the top of his muzzle.

He melted at the sweet kiss. "There's no harm in finding out," he said softly, gazing deeply into her soft brown eyes. He still felt regret for losing Zeek, but the happy moment did wonders for lessening the pain. "Let me know when you're ready, honey."

She laughed softly. "Ready? Let's just say I'm not going to say no if we run across a child in need, okay?" She gave him another kiss, on the side of the nose this time.

He chuckled and licked the corner of her lips. "Okay." His tongue went to her cheek, running over it repeatedly while lifting a paw to stroke the top of her head. "I love you, Soupy," he said as he paused his licking, then resumed.

She sighed, the warmth of content spreading through her until she just snuggled bonelessly on top of him. "I love you too." She touched her nose to his and smiled down into his eyes.

The lupe's eyes glowed a deep golden color as the skies grew darker. His heart hammered away against his ribcage, he smiled adoringly, running a paw over her head and down to her cheek, caressing it.

Soup Faerie shifted, tilting her head to kiss Blaze, when a small sound from the trees nearby made her pause and look over. It had been a soft sigh, and then a gasp. A little lutari girl - the girl from earlier, though the Soup Faerie didn't know this - stood next to a tree with her paw over her mouth, looking embarrassed.

Blaze's ears twitched and he turned his head, noticing that they had been spotted by the lutari child. He felt embarrassed, but paternal instinct took over, smiling at the child, "Hey, there. What are you doing out so late? Your brother was looking for you."

The child nodded bashfully, drawing circles in the dirt with one foot. "This is so romantic," she squeaked, then put both paws over her mouth, looking even more embarrassed. The Soup Faerie could barely hear her, she spoke so softly, but she laughed softly. The girl inched farther behind the tree, but she seemed comforted by the faerie's laughter.

Blaze chuckled. "Well, thank you. What's your name, little lady?" he asked.

She put her arms around the tree, hugging it, so that they could only see half her face. "Rosetta," she said quietly. "But everybody calls me Etty."

"Rosetta," Blaze repeated. "That's such a pretty name. Hey, Rosetta, why don't you come out so we can see your adorable face?" he said, trying to coax the little girl out from behind the tree.

She shook her head quickly, and inched further back behind the tree until they couldn't see her at all. The Soup Faerie grinned at Blaze, then got off of him and flew silently over to the tree and peeked around it and said, "Boo," softly. Etty gasped and ran out from behind the tree toward Blaze, then realized where she was headed, and stopped. She nibbled on her claws uncertainly, looking back and forth between them.

Blaze sat up, speaking gently to the nervous child. "It's okay, we don't bite. Why don't we take you home?" he suggested.

She slid her large eyes to Blaze, and looked a little confused. "Why would you take me home?"

The Soup Faerie came out of the edge of the jungle and came up beside her, but far enough away not to crowd her. "So you're safe," she said simply.

The little girl looked more confused. "I am safe."

"We could keep you company then," the Soup Faerie tried. The little lutari still looked rather confused, but nodded.

"So..." Blaze began, thinking of a good opening conversation, "Are you hungry, Rosetta?" He was certain she would be. It was very late, and if her brother hadn't found her, she may not have had supper yet.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in nearby bushes, causing the lupe to jump to his feet and stand protectively by the child and the faerie. The rustling continued, more rapidly, and strange clicking sound joined the noisy leaves.

The Soup Faerie went over to retrieve the blanket, planning to shake it out and use it for warmth if it got cold, but stopped when she heard the noises, and drifted closer to Blaze and the lutari girl. "What is that?" she asked Blaze quietly.

"I'm not sure," the lupe replied, keeping his eyes on the bushes, ready to defend if the creature ended up being dangerous. The rustling finally slowed once the creature emerged. It was a small kateil fledgling. It sat upon the grassy earth, and tilted its head, blinking its large eyes as it gazed curiously up at the three beings in front of it.

The Soup Faerie had come up behind Rosetta, ready to help Blaze keep her safe, but the sight of the tiny bird petpet made her gasp with delight. "Oh, it's adorable!"

Etty took a few steps forward and peered at it from a few feet away. "It's a baby. They're usually bigger."

The fluffy creature chirped before reaching back to scratch an itch on its rump, then preen the baby feathers afterward. Blaze smiled and slowly approached the avian petpet, speaking soothingly, not to frighten it. The katiel lifted its head and chirped again, stretching out its body to get a better look at the lupe as he lowered his head to it. The bird blinked, cocking its head, then bit Blaze's nose curiously. The lupe whimpered softly, lifting his head with the petpet dangling from his nose.

Rosetta ducked her head, giggling softly, and the Soup Faerie coughed a laugh, going over to him. She cupped her hand under the bird, and used another finger to pry its beak off of Blaze's nose as gently as possible. "I think it likes you."

Blaze brought a paw to his nose, rubbing it as the kateil let go of it. "Well... that's good." The fledgling squawked at the lupe, then glanced up at the faerie holding it.

The Soup Faerie stroked a finger over the bird's downy head, and noticed that Etty was squirming, looking like she wanted to say something. "You okay?" she asked the lutari.

Etty shook her head and said, "You're not supposed to touch the babies. Now it's mama won't take care of it."

"Are you sure?" Blaze asked as his expression morphed into one of concern. He looked down at the little bird who was chirping away in the faerie's hand.

Rosetta nodded sincerely, wringing her paws. "Sounds like we'll have to take care of it, then," the Soup Faerie suggested, already attached to the little petpet.

Blaze's eyes lit up at the faerie's suggestion. "Looks like we have our first child." His attention went back to the bird. "Don't we, little guy?" The lupe received a loud screech in reply.

The faerie laughed. "It's definitely as loud as a child."

Etty said, "Natty has a big one in the village." She wrinkled her nose. "It bites people."

"We'll teach this one some manners, won't we, Soupy?" Blaze laughed, running a finger over the petpet's head. She nodded back at him, smiling.

Rosette shifted from foot to foot. "It poops on people too," she whispered, sounding utterly disgusted.

The Soup Faerie tried not to laugh. "We'll train it not to."

"Right. We don't wanna scare away any visitors." said Blaze. The kateil chirped, "Soupy." The lupe laughed. "Looks like it won't be too difficult with how quickly it learned mama's nickname."

The Soup Faerie gave a long-suffering sigh. "I'm never going to be rid of that nickname." She turned to Etty and waved a hand toward the path to the village. "Wanna head back now?

The lutari child nodded, leading the way down the path back to the village. Blaze glanced up at the Soup Faerie as they both followed the child. "Don't you like your nickname?"

The Soup Faerie stroked the bird and thought swiftly. It wasn't that she hated the name. It was just... a little embarrassing. But Blaze liked it, and she couldn't deprive Blaze of such a simple pleasure as calling her by the silly nickname. He did too much for her. She put on a brave face and shook her head, stroking the fur of his back. "It's a great nickname. I just thought it'd be sweeter if only you called me by it."

"Soupy," the petpet squawked again.

Blaze chuckled, and nuzzled the faerie's head. "We'll have to teach it more words if it's going to stop saying that then," he suggested, giving the point of her ear a quick lap.

"Lots of different words. I don't know how much a petpet can learn, though. What should we name it?" The lutari girl walked behind them as they walked down the path.

"Hm... I'm not sure. Maybe something like Evergreen?" he suggested uncertainly, bringing a finger to the little creature's head, scratching it lightly.

She laughed. "Limeade?"

Rosetta snickered and supplied, "Squawkers?"

"Everett?" Blaze added on with a chuckle. The kateil squawked at that.

"That's the most neutral, I suppose. We'll be able to throw people off easier when referring to Everett, our child. And we can nickname him Etty," she finished, with a wink for Rosetta, who's eyes widened, and she smiled.

"Sounds good to me, honey," he chuckled, and turned to the lutari child. "Imagine how confused people will be when we talk to either of you."

The faerie patted Everett, and a few minutes later they made it to the village. Firelight shone from the windows of the huts. "Daddy's house is this way," Etty said, leading them to a house near the center of the village.

An island lutari was waiting outside one of the huts, leaning against the door, looking anxious. Once he finally spotted the lupe, faerie, and child, he sprinted over to them, and plucked up the child. "Etty, where have ya been?" Skip asked, relieved to see Rosette.

Etty didn't say anything. She chewed on one of her claws and looked bashful and ashamed, and the Soup Faerie felt sorry for her. "She was with us. She's going to help us take care of our new baby."

The lutari's eyes went wide, both shocked and glad that the couple had a child. "Dudette, that's awesome! I didn't know faeries and lupes mixed." said Skip, his eyes looking between Blaze and the Soup Faerie. "Where is the little faerie-lupe baby?"

Blaze's face went hot and be began stuttering in an attempt to correct the lutari, "N-n-no, w-w-we d-didn't a-actually h-ha-have a b-baby. W-w-we're ad-dopting th-this l-little b-bird." the lupe gestured at the fledgling in the faerie's hands.

The Soup Faerie's face was beet red, and she let out a choked, embarrassed laugh, holding the baby petpet out where Skip could see it. She hadn't thought Skip would jump to that conclusion... or that he would be so open, even excited, about the idea. "Don't be silly," she murmured quietly. "We can't have children."

Skip chuckled softly, looking at the baby petpet that was presented to him. He then went over to the lupe, elbowing him while he held his child in one arm. "Doesn't mean you can't stop trying." Blaze's ears fell and he rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

The Soup Faerie was pretty sure she blushed so hard her toes were pink, and she ducked her head and hugged the petpet to her. Etty looked from one to the other of them, curious. But she was too shy to ask the questions she obviously had for them.

"So you're looking for help with a katiel? Mamma Shrie has one."

"Sh-she d-does?" Blaze stammered.

"Yep, old Shrie's had a whole pack of kids. She's still got one left she's takin' care of. She's the baby expert on the island," said Skip. "She's just down the path if ya wanna see her."

The Soup Faerie wondered why experience with babies would help with taking care of a bird, but didn't want to risk embarrassment. At this point, she suspected Skip of conspiring about this baby thing. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Do you know if there are any, ah... priests on the island?"

"Priests? Shrie's husband just happens to be one? Looks like you two are gonna get all your info under one roof." He set Rosetta down on the ground and crossed his arms over his chest with a knowing grin. "So... you two lovebirds gonna tie the knot?"

Hugging Everett close, despite his squawking, the Soup Faerie turned and walked off the way Skip had directed toward Shrie's. "Maaaybe," she said teasingly.

"Aw, sweet!" Skip exclaimed excitedly, taking his daughter's hand. "Good luck, you two!"

"Thanks, Skip." Blaze smiled and he turned, heading down the dirt path beside the Soup Faerie. The lutari waved and walked the child inside the hut.


	26. Acceptance

Pony: Hooray! Here be chapter twenty-six!

Disclaimer Dude: Pony doesn't own Neopets.

**The Tale of a Lupe and a Faerie**

_Chapter Twenty-Six: Acceptance_

They were almost to the door of Shrie's hut when there was a loud crash from the well-lit interior, followed by a small child's laugh. The Soup Faerie glanced at Blaze, then reached up an knocked.

Blaze couldn't help but snort and the noise that came from the hut. "Sounds like someone is having fun." There was a loud squawking of another bird that followed the knocking, then a couple of voices that sounded like they belonged to adults. Soon the door was answered by a rainbow lenny holding a baby kau. "Hello," he greeted in a friendly voice.

"Hi," said the faerie, "We're looking for Shrie. We just picked up a baby katiel, and we heard she knows how to take care of them."

"Ah, certainly. Do come in." The lenny stepped aside, motioning with a free wing for his guests to enter.

"Thank you, sir," said Blaze as he and the faerie let themselves into the hut.

"We also heard that Shrie's husband is a priest," the faerie added hesitantly, giving the lenny a questioning look.

"That would be me, madam," the lenny responded, setting the baby down on the floor. "I am Kwooren. Some refer to me as Paster Kwooren." He led the lupe and faerie to the living room which contained furniture fabricated with palm branches. Other furnishings were finished off and decorated with tree trunks, branches, large sea shells, and colorful feathers. "Have a seat and I shall get Shrie."

The faerie smiled gratefully and sat, setting the little katiel on the all-natural bench beside her in order to reach over and take Blaze's paw. "Think he'll marry us?" she asked quietly.

Blaze sat down beside the faerie, his fingers closing on her hand as she took it. "I have a good feeling about him." The baby kau had wandered over to the bench where the visitors were seated. She reached up and took a hold of the downy tip of the lupe's tail. Babbling and cooing, she held the fluffy extremity and rubbed her face into it. Blaze glanced down at the infant pet, smiling softly. "Aw."

The Soup Faerie giggled and reached down to touch the baby's nose with a finger. She opened her eyes wide, and then smiled and raised her arms, letting go of Blaze's tail. Taking the hint, the faerie picked her up and set her on her lap.

The baby kateil squawked for attention, and Blaze picked up the little creature. "Hey, there, there's no need to be jealous, Everett," said the lupe, and he stroked the soft down.

The baby kau tilted her head back to look up at the Soup Faerie and said, "Baba beh blah."

She tickled the baby's stomach, making her squirm and giggle. "Blah, right back at you."

Footsteps called the faerie's attention to the doorway, where Shrie appeared. She saw them and smiled maternally. "Oh, you two'll make wonderful parents."

"Baba beh blah," the baby bird repeated in the baby kau's voice. Blaze burst with laughter, scratching the petpet's neck lightly. "You really think so, ma'am?"

"Darn right, I do," the rainbow kau chuckled, approaching her guests with a tray of small cakes and two cups of hot tea, setting it down on the coffee table in front of them.

The Soup Faerie set the little kau on the floor, and the baby immediately started crawling across the floor toward her mother. Shrie set picked the baby up and cooed at her. The baby squealed, so loudly the Soup Faerie winced. Shrie set the baby on her hip and sat on a chair opposite them. "So, y'all want some help taking care o' that little katiel?"

"Yes, ma'am. I don't think either of us know how to take care of one. We would appreciate some advice," said Blaze, stroking the bird.

"For a baby katiel, all ya'll really need is a warm place to sleep, food, water, and attention. He should be able to eat seeds in a few weeks, but in the meantime, mix up some baby food for him every two hours. I still have the feeders I used when mine was a baby. Ya'll can use those."

The Soup Faerie was mildly surprised at how easy it was. "That's all? I thought baby animals were hard to take care of."

"The lil rascal will for sure make a racket and get into mischief," Shrie added, "Help yourselves to tea and cakes."

"Oh, thank you." The lupe reached down to take a small square cake from the neat stack. Everett screeched repeatedly, snapping at the lupe's cake. "Hey, no."

"He hasn't eaten in a while. Aren't baby birds supposed to eat a lot? Maybe he needs to eat now. We could soak the cake in tea or something..." The Soup Faerie reached for a cake and took a sip of the tea.

"Oh, no, no, no. That cake and tea is horrible for a growing baby bird. You need to mix a couple of egg yolks for protein, milk for calcium, liquid vitamins, water for a little extra hydration, and enough baby cereal to thicken the mixture," said the kau as she turned her head into the direction of the kitchen, "Kwooren, dear, can you get the feeders and write down the recipe for the baby bird food?" she called out, receiving a "Yes, dear," in reply.

Blinking at the list of ingredients, the Soup Faerie looked down at the little bird, befuddled. "All that for that little thing? How many times a day?" She had known taking care of a baby was hard, but this sounded... complicated indeed.

"Every two hours," Shrie replied, "Including during the night."

The lupe's eyes widened, and blinked a few times. He turned to the Soup Faerie, placing a paw on her arm, "I'm sure we'll be fine if we take turns."

"Oh boy," she said simply, eyebrows raised. "It's going to be a long... how long do we have to keep this up, anyway?" she asked, worrying about her sleep schedule if they were going to reopen the Soup Kitchen.

"Two weeks at the most," said Shrie with an assuring and encouraging smile. "Once that is over, he can feed himself if you set out a bowl of nuts, seeds, and fruit."

Just then, Kwooren emerged from the kitchen with five feeders with tubes that were almost as tall as Everett, and a piece of paper with instructions on preparing the baby bird food. "Fill up one to the brim and that'll be enough for him."

"The whole tube? I-it's almost as big as Everett, does he really need that much every time?" Blaze asked incredulously, receiving a nod from both kau and lenny.

The Soup Faerie's mouth fell open, and she forgot to breath for a second. _'Is this really worth it?'_ she wondered. Then she remembered the expression on Blaze's face when she'd said they'd found their first child. Yes, it most certainly was worth it. "Well. Two weeks isn't so bad." She patted Everett resignedly, then turned to Kwooren. "We have a request for you, Kwooren," she said, leaning into Blaze.

"What is your request, my friends?" the lenny tilted his head slightly, waiting for the response from the lupe and faerie.

Blaze gave the Soup Faerie's head a slight nuzzle, his eyes meeting the rainbow lenny's, "Kwooren... would you marry the Soup Faerie to me?"

Kwooren stared for a moment, then started chuckling that soon erupted into hearty laughter. "Me? You want me to marry you two? A lupe and a faerie?" The lenny sighed heavily with a wide grin. "Well, I suppose that makes me the first priest to wed a neopet and a faerie. Haha!"

The Soup Faerie let out a little tense breath, relaxing. She smiled and hugged Blaze around the waist. "Oh good. We hoped it wouldn't be too hard to find someone who would do it."

"We're pretty tolerant folks compared to the rest of Neopia," said Shrie, lifting up her baby and nuzzling her.

"Do the both of you know when you want the wedding to be or do you need to talk about it?" asked the lenny, taking a cake from the stack.

The Soup Faerie glanced up at Blaze, then back at the lenny. "I don't know about Blaze, but... we're already together, living together. We should probably just get married already," she said, smiling ruefully.

"I agree, I want to get married as soon as possible," Blaze said immediately.

Shrie laughed, "My goodness, eager aren't you? Kwooren can watch your little Everett while y'all go on your honeymoon," she offered, "We usually do for the newlyweds."

The Soup Faerie was starting to get used to the blunt way the people on this island spoke. She only blushed a little this time. "Really? I think we need a two week honeymoon, Blaze," she said jokingly.

The couple in front of them burst with laughter at the faerie's joke, nearly doubling over. The baby started to laugh because her parents were. Once they finally stopped, Kwooren was the first to speak, "Oh, you are a delight."

"She is, isn't she?" Blaze gazed endearingly at the Soup Faerie. "I think I couple of days is good enough. After all, we really should bond with the little guy so he knows who mommy and daddy is."

The faerie held a semi-serious expression for a moment, then laughed along with them. It warmed her heart. They were already making good friends here. They could be happy here, she thought. "I suppose we'll bond, then. I reserve the right to come back for a babysitter if I start going crazy from sleep deprivation."

"Fine with me, honey," Blaze laughed, nuzzling the faerie's temple.

"Anything specific you want for your wedding?" Shrie asked, picking up a cake for the baby, who happily gobbled it down.

"Uhm." The Soup Faerie looked taken aback at the question. She hadn't been thinking of wedding presents. She was still reconciling with the fact that she was getting married at all, and without the possibility of a mob gate-crashing them. "I don't know... do we need anything, Blaze?"

"How about a wedding dress?" the lupe smirked, winking at her.

She turned to stare at him, and then flushed, looking back to Shrie. "I don't... I mean, it would be lovely, but this is just an informal thing, right?"

"Oh, nonsense, dear. Every bride needs a wedding dress," the kau smiled softly. "Just imagine how awed your man will be when he sees you in one."

Blaze blushed under his fur, "Yeah... a-and it's a once in a lifetime event too."

The faerie decided that discretion was the better part of valor and ducked her head, nodding. "You're right. This is very important. I can help make it, of course. You'll need to measure me and stuff."

"Just let me measure you and leave the rest to us, deary," smiled the kau, holding the child close. "Save your energy for the chick... and the honeymoon," she snickered. The lupe hunkered down in embarrassment, slightly hiding his face in the side of the Soup Faerie's head.

Okay, so she wasn't quite used to it yet. She was beet red all over again. Blaze was even more embarrassed, and she reached up to pat his cheek with an affectionate chuckle. "Do you want to do measurements tonight? I don't know how soon you'll be able to work on the dress..."

"Sure. I can get the materials tomorrow. Be right back, hun." Shrie set down the baby kau and disappeared down a hallway to fetch the measuring tape.

Kwooren smiled and set the feeders and instructions down on the coffee table next to the tray. "I'm sorry about Shrie. She's such a tease."

The Soup Faerie smiled and nodded. "She is. But she's got charm. I can handle a little good natured jibing. And Blaze will recover." She patted him on the arm lightly.

"Yeah, I'm not too traumatized," Blaze smiled, still a little embarrassed. "A few cuddles and I'll be fine." he said, and gave the faerie's cheek a lick.

"Now, now, you two," the lenny said with friendly sternness, wagging a wing at them. "No more of that until the wedding!"

Blaze turned to the lenny, putting on his saddest puppy face and released a few whines. "Aww... do we have to wait?" The baby kau giggled and went for Blaze's tail again, snuggling it.

"Blaze!" the faerie said, eyes wide. "You're talking to a priest. At least pretend we're innocent," she said with a little smothered giggled.

The lenny shook his head, but he was smiling. "It won't be much longer."

"I was referring to cuddling, not... the other thing," the lupe ducked his head again.

"Oh, you poor young man," Kwooren chuckled, plucking the baby from the floor.

"Well," the lenny continued, clearing his throat, "just keep in mind that cuddling can lead to other things."

The Soup Faerie put her arms around Blaze and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, sir. I'll keep him in check."

"She always does." Blaze licked the faerie's cheek again, and nuzzled her.

Soon, Shrie returned with her measuring tape. Eying the lupe licking the faerie, she smirked. "Your man giving you a little bath?"

"Usually," the faerie responded wryly. "I'll be the cleanest faerie on the planet for the rest of my life." She squeezed Blaze tighter, then let go and stood. "All right." She held her hands away from her sides. "Do your worst."

Shrie chuckled, and approached the faerie, "I intend to, hun." The kau stretched and wrapped the measuring tape along her arm, legs, torso, and hips, noting the measurements. She took the measuring tape away and nodded to her, "All done, dear."

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Blaze grinned, stroking Everett, who chirped happily.

"It was awful. All right, we need to head home. It's getting late." She offered her hands to take Everett and help Blaze up.

Blaze handed the little bird to the faerie before picking up the feeders and instructions. Turning to the rainbow couple, he nodded curtly and said, "Thank you very much. We really appreciate your help."

"Yes, thank you so much. We weren't expecting anything when we were exiled here. It was such a wonderful surprise to find such friendly, supportive pets here." The Soup Faerie hugged Shrie impulsively, making Everett squawk at the sudden movement. Moving on to embrace Kwooren as well, then stood back.

"It's no trouble, young lady. That is what we do: we help out our neighbors," the lenny said, patting the faerie's shoulder with a wing.

"That's right. Now ya'll get back home and feed that little fuzzball," Shrie smiled in a commanding tone.

"You mean featherball?" the faerie said, smiling and holding the bird up. "Well, for whatever reason, thank you for being so kind." She slipped her hand into the crook of Blaze's arm. "Good night then!"

"Good night!" the couple waved with friendly smiles. The baby kau lifted her arm, imitating her parents, waving to the faerie and kau as well.

Blaze sighed deeply, touching his head to the faerie's as they strolled down the path to the Soup Kitchen, his eyes dropping to the little petpet in the faerie's free hand. "He sure is a cute little guy."

The faerie leaned her head against Blaze's shoulder as they left. Even though it was bumpy, cushioned by his fur, she enjoyed the quiet walk back. Once the pair arrived back at home, Everett was tucked away, and they slept peacefully next to each other, happy that the world wasn't as bad a place as it had seemed the day before. They were free from a prejudice civilization, and they could live their lives in peace with a unity that accepted their relationship with open hearts.


End file.
